Canucks eliminated from playoffs due to Demko injury absence, Pettersson slump

VANCOUVER -- The Vancouver Canucks were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Edmonton Oilers with a 3-2 loss in Game 7 of the best-of-7 Western Conference Second Round on Monday. 

The Canucks have not advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs since losing Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final to the Boston Bruins. 

Vancouver (50-23-9) finished first in the Pacific Division and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2020. It defeated the Nashville Predators in the opening round in six games and held a 3-2 lead in the best-of-7 series against the Oilers before losing Game 6, 5-1 in Edmonton, and Game 7 here. 

Vancouver swept the regular-season series 4-0-0. 

The skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents: Teddy Blueger, F; Dakota Joshua, F, Sam Lafferty, F, Elias Lindholm, F; Ian Cole, D; Mark Friedman, D; Tyler Myers, D; Nikita Zadorov, D; Casey DeSmith, G

Potential restricted free agents: Filip Hronek, D; Arturs Silovs, G

Potential 2024 Draft picks: 5

Here are five reasons the Canucks were eliminated:

1. No. 1 goalie not available

The Canucks were forced to play without their No. 1 goalie, Thatcher Demko, who sat out the series with an undisclosed injury. They turned to Arturs Silovs, who played well and finished with a 3.42 goals-against average and .882 save percentage, giving up 24 goals on 203 shots. Edmonton was eventually able to figure out Silovs in Game 6. He kept Game 7 close with 24 saves through the first two periods and gave Vancouver a chance at a miraculous comeback, but fans will be left wondering if things would have been different had Demko, a finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the top goalie in the NHL, been available. 

2. Hughes not a major factor

Quinn Hughes was not his dominant self. He led NHL defensemen in scoring during the regular season with 92 points (17 goals, 75 assists) and is a finalist for the Norris Trophy given to the best at his position but was not a major factor in the series. Hughes had five assists in seven games. He was at the receiving end of several big hits in the opening round, which appeared to affect him against the Oilers. Hughes seemed reluctant to shoot the puck, which hurt Vancouver's power play. He had 12 shots on goal in the series, an average of 1.7 per game. He had 199 shots in 82 games during the season, an average of 2.4 per game.

3. Pettersson struggles 

Canucks fans chanted, "Let's go 'Petey,'" in Games 5 and Game 7 to try and get forward Elias Pettersson out of a slump. Pettersson never did find his A-game against the Oilers and had three points (one goal, two assists) in seven games. He finished the playoffs with six points (one goal, five assists) in 13 games. He was Vancouver's third-leading scorer in the regular season (89 points; 34 goals, 55 assists) in 82 games. Pettersson looked more threatening in Games 5 and Game 7 than early in the series, but Vancouver needed more, particularly in the deciding game when Brock Boeser was ruled out with an undisclosed injury. Pettersson did not have a point in Game 7.

4. Losing Boeser

Not having Boeser available for the biggest game of the season was a huge blow to the Canucks. It was announced the day before Game 7 that the forward would be out. Coach Rick Tocchet would not comment on the nature of Boeser's injury, but said he found out there was an issue Sunday. Boeser had 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in 12 playoff games. More importantly, he was Edmonton's biggest threat. He had six points (three goals, three assists) in the series and has 27 points (16 goals, 11 assists) in 31 regular-season games against the Oilers.

5. Lost special teams battle

The Canucks were unable to get their power play on track. They were 3-for-23 (13.0 percent), which was simply not good enough with the Oilers going 6-for-20 (30.0 percent). Though the Canucks were able to kill 11 consecutive short-handed opportunities, the Oilers scored a much-need power-play goal in Game 7, which turned out to be the game-winner by forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Vancouver had its chances in Game 7, which included a four-minute man-advantage at the end of the first period but couldn't score. Had the Canucks been able to convert near their rate in the regular season (22.7 percent) things might have worked out differently in the end.