Canucks, Oilers to play Game 7 for trip to Western Conference Final

The Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers will play Game 7 of the Western Conference Second Round at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Monday.

The Oilers pushed the series to the limit with a 5-1 win in Game 6 at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Saturday.

“Nothing to be satisfied or excited about. We just bought ourselves another day, and I would expect the same level of urgency and desperation from our group,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said. “I would expect Vancouver to play a better game as well, and I would expect it to be a highly competitive, great Game 7.”

The winner will advance to the Western Conference Final and play the Dallas Stars, who defeated the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 in double overtime in Game 6 on Friday to win that best-of-7 series.

“You’re disappointed a little bit, but you know that we are a good bounce-back team,” Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet said. “Our job is we’ve got to flush this game. Some guys know they’ve got to play better, and you’ve got 48 hours to get your energy back. It’s a Game 7. People would kill to be in this situation right now, and we’ve got to make sure that we act like we want to be in that situation.

“Play like you want to be a hero on Monday, that’s what I think.”

The Stars (52-21-9), who are the No. 1 seed from the Central Division and Western Conference, will have home-ice advantage against either the Canucks (50-23-9), who are the No. 1 seed from the Pacific Division, or Oilers (49-27-6), the No. 2 seed from the Pacific.

Vancouver is 6-6 in Game 7s, including 4-3 at home. The Canucks lost their most recent Game 7 at home, 4-0 to the Boston Bruins in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.

Defenseman Ian Cole has played in eight Game 7s, going 4-4. Forward J.T. Miller has played in four (1-3), and defenseman Tyler Myers has played in three (1-2), getting two goals and an assist in those games.

Arturs Silovs has never played in a Game 7. Thatcher Demko, who is currently out with an undisclosed injury, lost his only Game 7, making 33 saves in a 3-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Second Round in 2020.

Rick Tocchet has never coached a Game 7.

“I guess now we’re going to play seven games and things are going to happen. It’s hard to play seven amazing games,” Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes said. “If you told us we had this opportunity in September, I think we would have took it and probably would have taken it three or four weeks ago as well. So, we’ll be excited.”

Edmonton is 7-4 in Game 7s, including 3-3 on the road. The Oilers won their most recent Game 7, 2-0 against the Los Angeles Kings in the first round in 2022, but lost their most recent on the road, 2-1 to the Anaheim Ducks in the second round in 2017.

Forward Corey Perry has played in 10 Game 7s (5-5), getting four goals and two assists in those games. Forward Zach Hyman has played in four (1-3), and forward Evander Kane has played in three (3-0). Forwards Connor McDavid (one goal, one assist) and Leon Draisaitl (one assist) have each played in two Game 7s (1-1).

Oilers goalies Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard have never played in a Game 7, and Kris Knoblauch has never coached one.