5 things that need to happen for Canucks to upset the Oilers

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Not many people outside of Vancouver are giving the Canucks much of a chance to beat the Edmonton Oilers.

Despite Canucks having home-ice advantage, the Oilers are huge favourites heading into this series. That shouldn’t come as a surprise. Edmonton was the NHL’s best team since November 12, when Kris Knoblauch replaced Jay Woodcroft as head coach.

The Oilers also ran over the LA Kings in Round 1, while the Canucks sputtered at times against the Nashville Predators.

Goaltending should be where the Canucks hold the advantage, but Thatcher Demko is still injured.

But crazier things have happened in the NHL, and the Canucks certainly have a shot to advance.

They’ll need a lot to go right, however.

1. Goaltending needs to be Demko-level

Demko could be available as soon as Game 5 according to a report this morning, but that seems optimistic for the All-Star goaltender who is recovering from a knee injury.

We may not see Demko in this series, but the Canucks will need Demko-level goaltending. Their hopes appear to be on Arturs Silovs, but we could see Casey DeSmith at some point as well.

Silovs did the job last series and even picked up a shutout in Game 6 against Nashville.

But the Oilers present a different challenge.

If the Canucks are going to win this series, Silovs will need to prove he’s for real and not let Edmonton expose any weaknesses.

2. Pettersson needs to be great

Elias Pettersson had a quiet first round, with no goals and three assists in six games.

They advanced anyway, but if Pettersson goes quiet in this round, it will be curtains for the Canucks.

Pettersson missed practice Tuesday with what the team described as an illness. It doesn’t sound serious, “a head cold or something like that,” according to Rick Tocchet.

The Canucks not only need Pettersson to be healthy, but they also need him to be a difference-maker. Whichever line doesn’t draw Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl will get a more favourable matchup, one that the Canucks could exploit.

That could be Pettersson’s line.

There’s also the matter of the Canucks’ power play. Pettersson seemed hesitant to shoot against Nashville. He’ll need to be more than a high-priced decoy this time around.

3. Don’t let the Oilers power play kill you

One year ago, the Oilers posted the best power play percentage (32.4%) in NHL history. This season, it was 26.3% and 45% in the first round against Los Angeles.

The Canucks need to make sure it doesn’t kill them.

Maybe that means they take fewer penalties. Maybe it means their penalty kill steps up.

They probably need a combination of both.

4. Depth needs to make a difference

The Canucks can’t compete with Edmonton’s high-end talent. Nobody can.

But maybe their depth can outshine everyone not named McDavid or Draisaitl.

This doesn’t just mean their third and fourth lines and bottom pairing on defence. They’ll need contributions up and down the lineup.

Quinn Hughes, J.T. Miller, Brock Boeser — they were all good in the first round. Can they be even better against Edmonton? What about Lindholm’s line with Conor Garland and Dakota Joshua? We’ve already mentioned Pettersson, but what about his linemate, Nils Höglander? Filip Hronek has been quiet so far in the playoffs. Can he contribute more?

If the answer is yes to all those questions, they have a chance.

5. Believe in yourself!

Nobody else seems to believe in them, but they’d better believe in themselves.

With four days off in between finishing off the Predators and the series opener against Edmonton, Canucks players have likely heard a lot about how great the Oilers are.

Hopefully it pisses them off.

Come in with a chip on your shoulder, and go out and shock the world.

The first test is tonight.