Oilers' path to the Stanley Cup likely runs through Vancouver and Vegas
It’s shaping up to be an exciting playoff for the Edmonton Oilers.
The team has scratched and clawed themselves to third place in the Pacific Division heading into the NHL All-Star break, erasing a horrid start to the year and rattling off 16 consecutive wins.
As it stands, the Oilers have a 29-15-1 record and 59 points, which is just five back of the Vegas Golden Knights and 12 back of the division-leading Vancouver Canucks. There is a possibility that the team can catch Vegas in the standings and even chance they make things interesting with the Canucks down the stretch.
No matter how the Oilers do in catching the teams ahead of them, one thing likely remains true after they play game 82: the path to the Stanley Cup will likely run through one of Vegas or Vancouver, if not both.
NHL.com
If the playoffs started today, the Oilers would start things on the road in what would be a heavily anticipated rematch from last year’s second against the Golden Knights. Vegas won that series in six games, but it was much closer than you might think.
The other Pacific Division series would have the Canucks facing the team in the second wildcard spot, which is currently the St. Louis Blues. Though the NHL is known for its playoff upsets, the Canucks would be viewed as heavy favourites.
Assuming the Canucks can get out of the opening round, it would set up a second round between them and the winner of a potential Vegas-Edmonton series.
The possibility of an Oilers-Golden Knights or an Oilers-Canucks playoff series is sure to have fans on every side biting their nails, but it could also make for one of the more memorable playoff series in recent memory.
The Oilers and Canucks have met three times this season with Vancouver, famously, winning all of them by a combined score of 18-6. They will meet for a fourth and final time in Edmonton on April 13.
Edmonton won their only game against the Golden Knights in a 4-3 OT win last month. They play Vegas after the All-Star break and again on April 10 at Rogers Place.
No matter what happens, this year’s playoffs are already on track to have more fireworks than usual. It’s now up to the Oilers, Golden Knights, and Canucks to sort things out for the rest of the season.