Oilers 3, Canucks 2: Valiant push comes up short to end a remarkable season (2024)

More adversity. More resilience. More results.

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That was the Vancouver Canucks’ calling card all season, and when they pushed all their chips in to bet on a favourable Game 7 outcome Monday, they were hoping it was a winning hand.

It came close to being one with a valiant push that nearly forced overtime and would have added another level of drama.

The Canucks missed Brock Boeser, who was sidelined by a blood-clotting issue and had seven post-season goals, and they vowed to overcome the adversity and win one for him.

It was admirable, but it just wasn’t quite attainable, even though they rallied before falling 3-2 to the Edmonton Oilers in the deciding second-round series thriller at Rogers Arena.

An inability to generate offence, and even generate a shot during a four-minute power play in the opening period, proved a crucial element in the setback.

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The Canucks were outshot 29-17 and missed the net 20 times.

However, Conor Garland gave the Canucks some life when he pounced on a turnover in the slot and went short side on Stuart Skinner with 8:33 remaining.

And when a Filip Hronek slapper from the point beat the screened Oilers’ stopper with 4:36 left, it made for a nail-biting finish.

The Canucks pulled their goalie, they attacked the net and they came up just short. J.T. Miller had a late shot that was destined for the net but struck Dakota Joshua.

“It was in the middle of the net for sure,” said Miller. “They (Oilers) came out hungry, but we started to take control and we just couldn’t get that extra bounce. I just love the team. We don’t give up ever, it’s a good sign.

“Hard-fought game. Hard-fought series. We were a bounce away. Right now, it sucks to be that close. We had four minutes to tie it up and we have balls here. The way the game ended is a good representation of the culture we’re trying to build here.”

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For the Canucks, who defied long pre-season odds to make the NHL playoffs, and then silenced their critics again by winning the Pacific Division with a 109-point season, this was not supposed to be how it ended.

Getting past the Nashville Predators in the first playoff round was supposed to be a stepping-stone.

After all, they have a Norris Trophy favourite in Quinn Hughes, a Jack Adams Award favourite in Rick Tocchet and Vezina Trophy finalist in Thatcher Demko. They had a 40-goal scorer in Boeser, a 103-point dynamo in Miller and plenty of moxie to overcome obstacles.

It bodes well for next season, but right now everything hurts. Really hurts.

“There’s no quit in this team,” said Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet. “I’m really proud of the guys. Unreal. That (Miller) shot gets through and it’s in the net. We had a lot of missed shots and had shots blocked, but the guys played really hard at the end. They played their asses off.

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“They put respect back in this city and this jersey and the fans have something to be proud about. It’s all because of the players.”

For Hughes, the playoffs were a draining and learning experience.

He was often targeted positionally and physically while logging monster minutes. He had 10 assists in 13 games while being pressured at the point and often double-teamed when trying to trigger the transition.

“First playoff run for a lot of us (11), and with the fans, this is a special place to play and due to the city and the passion but also to this group with what we accomplished all year,” said the Canucks captain.

Here’s what we learned as the Oilers advance to the Western Conference final against the Dallas Stars.

Self-inflicted power play pain

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It was supposed to be the dagger.

It was designed to inflict lasting pain on the opposition and be the difference, because in a special-teams league, it has to be special. However, it was suspect once again in the biggest game of the season and a big reason why it ended with a thud.

You can’t be blanked in the last four series games and go 3-for-22 in seven games, especially against the vaunted Oilers power play that was operating at a league best 36.8 per cent heading into Game 7.

On a four-minute man advantage late in the first period, the warts were clearly visible with no shots with a chance to strike for the all-important first goal.

The Canucks struggled to enter the zone, whether it was drop passes or being pressed by an aggressive penalty kill. It took away the points and passing options. And even when the Canucks possessed the puck, they stood around and tried to thread the perfect pass.

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Maybe it was missing Boeser. Maybe it was just what has plagued a power play that looks so good on paper, but failed to execute at crucial moments.

“It was a big factor,” admitted Tocchet. “We lost a little juice and lost some energy and it was a little bit of a zapper.”

For Pettersson, these playoffs were a big learning curve. He was held to just one goal and six points in 13 games. He struggled to find his way but was better in the last three outings.

“A lot of learning points for me,” admitted Pettersson. “I’ll use it as fuel when I get back to training this summer and I’d like to be back in this position again. We showed what we’ve been trying to build all year and I truly believe we’ll be back here (playoffs). I’m really proud of the guys.”

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As for the four-minute power play, he put it in perspective.

“If we get a goal there, maybe the game ends differently,” he said.

Silovs tried to save the day

Arturs Silovs was writing a rookie playoff story comparable to legendary Ken Dryden in 1971 as he backstopped the Montreal Canadiens to the Stanley Cup and won the Conn Smythe Trophy.

The lanky and likable Latvian was remarkable in this first post-season appearance, including a shutout in a series-clinching win against the Predators. He was calm, cool and collected with razor-sharp movements and an ability to scramble to make remarkable saves.

All that played out Monday, but it was far from enough.

When Silovs started with a strong first-period save sequence — robbing Brett Kulak, getting a glove on a Connor McDavid dash and thwarting Mattias Janmark on a wraparound attempt — the shot clock read 12-2 and he wasn’t flinching.

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It took the 13th shot to elude Silovs, a Cody Ceci slapper from the point that found the high stick side early in the second period. And when Zach Hyman tipped an Evan Bouchard point shot less than five minutes later, the Canucks were really on their heels.’

Silovs made a toe save off a pinching Bouchard before the lethal Oilers’ power play put it away. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was in perfect position to beat a sprawling Silovs to convert a Bouchard shot that came off the endboards.

Pettersson press, Mikheyev miss

Rick Tocchet was looking for a hero Monday.

He nearly had one in Ilya Mikheyev and could have had one in Elias Pettersson.

In the absence of Boeser, they joined Miller on an alignment that should have screamed redemption for the wingers. For Mikheyev, who had one goal in his last 61 games, taking a sweet Miller feed in the first period and slipping a backhand deke wide on Skinner was a snapshot of his season.

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For Pettersson, he was energized and engaged from the outset. He threw an early reverse hit on Mattias Ekholm and hustled to the slot to be ready for a feed. He then drew a double minor when he threw another hit on Ryan McLeod.

That was impressive, but like his teammates, a failure to generate offence was the crushing blow. The Miller line was held to a combined three shots. It was the story of the series.

And so were the frantic fans.

“It hit me emotionally at the end of the game when they were cheering and clapping,” admitted Miller. “When you see that, you know you’re in a good market and hopefully the beginning of a really good future here.”

bkuzma@postmedia.com

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