PREVIEW: Oilers vs. Canucks

The Edmonton Oilers look to clinch home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs with a victory over the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Place on Thursday night.

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PREVIEW: Oilers vs. Canucks

EDMONTON, AB – Game 82 and plenty left to settle in the playoff picture.

The Edmonton Oilers can secure home-ice advantage in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Thursday night with a victory over the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Place in the final game of their regular season.

“It’s high importance,” defenceman Darnell Nurse said. “Going into the playoffs, you're looking forward to them, but this is a huge game for us, and we get to choose our own fate and our own outcome. We’ve got to make this last one count.”

After the Golden Knights clinched top spot in the Pacific with 95 points, the Oilers (91) are in need of a single point to finish second in the division and claim home ice to set up a potential Game 1 at Rogers Place later this week against either the Ducks (90) or the Kings (90) to begin the first round, depending on the results of their final games on Thursday.

For the Oilers, anything other than a victory over the 32nd-ranked Canucks could result in them having to start the postseason on the road – either the third seed in the Pacific or the second Wild Card – so there’s no shortage of ambition from the players & coaches to win for the chance to open in front of their fans.

“Absolutely,” Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said after Wednesday’s practice. “Our goal is to win and set us up better for the playoffs, whether we're fortunate enough to get home-ice advantage or possibly win the Pacific.  But our mindset is to win tomorrow to help us in the long run.”

The Oilers are expected to receive reinforcements in the return of Zach Hyman, who skated alongside Matt Savoie and Connor McDavid at Wednesday’s practice and will try to get back up to speed quickly in the last (but certainly not least) game of the regular season.

Having missed the last five games to recover from a minor issue and be ready for the demands that come with playoff hockey, Thursday’s pivotal contest with the Canucks is the ideal setting for Hyman to test the physical and mental parts of his game.

"You want to be playing your best in the playoffs," Hyman said. "Having said that, if I felt like I could play in the regular season, I wouldn't just sit out games. I don't like doing that, so it's not that I was sitting out.

“It was taking care of something to make sure I'm able to contribute at the level you need to ensure the team has success in the playoffs. I play a little bit more physical, obviously, so I gotta make sure that I'm ready to play at that level."

His return adds back some much-needed goalscoring for an Oilers team that’s found the back of the net only four times over their last three games, while the defence has been strong in allowing only four against over that span.

Hyman’s 112 high-danger chances are the fifth most in the NHL, and he’s spent the fourth-most time in the offensive zone (48.3 percent) to help him record his third 30-goal season after missing the first 19 games of the season rehabbing from off-season wrist surgery.

"It's nice having a big-time goal scorer back in your lineup, especially after the last two games where we've fallen a little short and played well, but we haven't been able to put the puck in the net. That's what Zach is really good at," Coach Knoblauch said.

“If it were a week ago and we were in the playoffs, I don't think he would have sat any time out.  But we wanted him healthy and ready for the playoffs. We also feel that Zach felt comfortable getting a game in before he hits the playoffs, and he's cleared and healthy.  So I think that's a good idea to put him in and see what he can do. It's not just him finding his game and getting ready for the playoffs.

“Tomorrow is a very important game for us, and he will help us win."

With Leon Draisaitl still hoping to be ready for the start of the playoffs, Jason Dickinson’s availability will also be re-evaluated after Thursday’s conclusion of the regular season, which could put the Oilers down two key players to begin Round 1 later this week.

“A defensively responsible guy who can play against other top lines,” Knoblauch said. “I think Samanski's filled that void. I think he's done a good job, but I think with just how tight checking it is and how much simpler the game gets in the playoffs, I think he's going to be a really good asset for us through this stretch.”