Oil Canada.
This season’s Edmonton Oilers have confirmed to be the very best hope to finish the Nice White North’s Stanley Cup drought.
As of now, three of the six squads nonetheless remaining within the chase for hockey’s holy grail are from north of the border. However let’s be actual—of the Oilers, Winnipeg Jets and Toronto Maple Leafs, which has the poutine-covered moxie to turn into the primary Canada-based crew for the reason that 1993 Montreal Canadiens to sip from Lord Stanley’s mug?
The Jets, who received the Presidents’ Trophy because the regular-season champions, head into Saturday’s Recreation 6 of their convention semifinal collection with the Dallas Stars down 3-2 and should someway discover a technique to win a street sport simply to power a deciding Recreation 7. The chances usually are not of their favor (or favour for his or her followers).
The Toronto Maple Leafs have managed to ship their collection towards the defending Cup champion Florida Panthers to a seventh sport, having recovered from dropping three straight contests with a 2-0 street victory Friday evening.
Certain, the Maple Leafs might attain the convention finals for the primary time since 2002. Simply after they had been poised for elimination, they pulled off an enormous victory sparked by Auston Matthews’ first purpose of the collection and sealed by Joseph Woll’s first profession playoff shutout.
However being the Maple Leafs, dropping one more Recreation 7 can be apropos for a franchise and fan base that final noticed their crew win a Cup in 1967.
Which brings us again to the Oilers, who made brief work of the Vegas Golden Knights within the second spherical, needing solely 5 video games to dispatch the Pacific Division champs.
For many who consider the method to successful a Stanley Cup is finest served by a loss within the closing, the Oilers are your crew. Keep in mind, this squad fell to the Panthers in Recreation 7 final season—a collection Edmonton trailed 3-0 earlier than rattling off a trio of wins to power a winner-take-all showdown, solely to fall brief to a Panthers crew that had suffered Stanley Cup Closing heartbreak the 12 months earlier than.
That have is barely a part of the equation for the Oilers, who final received a Cup in 1990. Their dynamic offensive duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are big-time gamers displaying their dominance within the largest conditions. No shock there.
The distinction now’s how Edmonton has turn into a extra full crew, with precise scoring depth. Certain, McDavid and Draisaitl paved the way offensively, however contributions not finish with them and offensive defenseman Evan Bouchard.
Corey Perry, who turned 40 this week, has someway discovered the fountain of youth. Evander Kane, after lacking all the common season, has rounded into kind and constructed momentum because the playoffs have continued. Connor Brown provides the Oilers the dimensions and depth scoring punch that usually makes the distinction alongside the way in which.
Oh yeah—additionally they proceed to get pleasure from having Swiss Military knife ahead Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and kamikaze scoring machine Zach Hyman of their prime traces.
All of that depth is why the Oilers don’t must rely so closely on their energy play to succeed, not like a 12 months in the past—even after they’ve pulled off comeback victories.
Then comes one other big key that provides extra pop to Edmonton’s possibilities: After floundering within the first few video games of the playoffs, goaltender Stuart Skinner heads into the Western Convention closing using consecutive shutouts. Skinner’s confidence—and the crew’s religion in him—can’t be missed.
There stays a protracted technique to go earlier than the Stanley Cup is hoisted. However brace your self for the second it’s lifted by the Oilers—and makes its technique to Canada, tariff-free.
