Playoff pressure is on the Oilers, not the Canucks

Bob Frid/USA TODAY Sports

Good Co. Bars is your home for the playoffs! Enjoy $5 beers, prizes, a full game-day experience, and the best atmosphere to catch the game. Join us at any of our five locations.

So here we are.

Round 2 against the team that everybody has winning this series, and eventually, a Stanley Cup.

Twenty-four different prognosticators on ESPN, 23 picked the Edmonton Oilers to beat the Vancouver Canucks.

Groupthink is alive and well in hockey, everybody.

And in fairness, it’s easier to see routes to victory for the Oilers in this series.

A legendary power play, more offensive talent, greater playoff experience, perhaps even a goaltending edge with a more established starter.

It’s also easy to identify warts from the Canucks’ first-round victory than Edmonton’s demolition of the Kings. If both teams keep this up, the Oilers win handily, right?

Not so fast.

Because here’s the thing, not only did the Canucks sweep the season series against Edmonton, they also got into Connor McDavid’s head.

The Oilers captain lost his cool, took retaliatory penalties and whined in the post-game media availabilities.

Then there’s goalie Stuart Skinner, who has a history of postseason implosion. Got pulled in four playoff games last year.

What’s more, the Canucks have already overcome playoff adversity this spring. Needed three goaltenders to get through Nashville. Survived and advanced with a punchless power play and a paucity of shots.

You might also like:

"I feel good": Canucks' Pettersson putting first-round struggles behind him

Edmonton? There was no adversity versus the Kings. Clear sailing, easy peasy.

And so the conditions are ripe for the Oilers to be overconfident, and take the Canucks lightly.

Moreover, the conditions are ripe for the Canucks to have the psychological advantage, particularly if they win Wednesday’s opener and plant that seed of doubt in the Oilers’ dressing room: ‘Why can’t we beat these guys?’

The Oilers are not only expected to win this series but are approaching a Cup-or-bust mentality that could easily see them overlook Vancouver.

The Canucks have no pressure. Nobody expects them to be here. They can play without primates on their backs.

Then there’s goalie Arturs Silovs. Coming off a shutout, he’s a calm character who flat doesn’t know any better.

He compared the pressure of the Nashville series to his domestic league back home in Latvia, and he’s used to giant-slaying from his performance in last year’s World Championships when he led little Latvia to a bronze medal.

Hey, Ken Dryden, Adin Hill, Anton Khudobin, Darcy Kuemper, Matt Murray, Martin Jones, Corey Crawford… Stanley Cup Playoff history is replete with little-known goalies going on runs and taking their teams to the finals.

Arty doesn’t need to do that, he just needs to win this series.

Add it all up and I’m feeling contrarian: Canucks in 5.