Edmonton Oilers vs. Vancouver Canucks Pick and Prediction – May 20, 2024

EDMONTON OILERS VS. VANCOUVER CANUCKS EXPERT PICK AND PREDICTION – May 20, 2024 — This might be the strangest Game 7 in NHL history, as the home team comes in with virtually no pressure. Vancouver hasn’t been favored even once in this series, even though it has home ice and won all four regular season matchups. Everyone’s been expecting the other shoe to drop at any point, and up until Game 6, it hadn’t.

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The question is, has the other shoe dropped permanently? Edmonton finally looked like the stronger team at 5-on-5 for the first time in the series, as it got goals from five different players. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl played their usual strong game, and they finally got some help from the rest of the lineup. Edmonton didn’t cash in a power play in Game 6, and yet it dominated the contest.

But the Oilers haven’t yet won two straight games in this series, nor have they had much luck in British Columbia. Vancouver is 4-0-1 on the year at Rogers Arena (not to be confused with Edmonton’s Rogers Place) against the Oilers, and the Canucks have shown they can dictate the game when they get second line change.

More importantly, Vancouver no longer has a margin for error. The Canucks have played with no pressure in the entire series, but now they must match Edmonton’s desperation. If they can, they’ll pull off one of the more surprising results of a postseason that’s been devoid of upsets.

The Odds

Puck Drop

When: Monday, May 20 at 9 p.m. EST

Where: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

TV: ESPN

Public Bets: 68% on Edmonton

Public Money: 51% on Vancouver

Odds courtesy of DraftKings, as of May 20th, 2024

Edmonton Oilers vs. Vancouver Canucks In-Season Trends

The teams have traded blows in this series, going back and forth through six games. Vancouver has won every odd game, and Edmonton answered back each time. Just as important, most of these games have been close. Game 6 marked the first time all year in 10 meetings where Vancouver +1.5 failed to cash.

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The Canucks have been the underdog in all 10 matchups, so blindly backing Vancouver on the spread has been the way to play this most times. The low total is a rarity for this matchup, as every total in this series has been 6.0 to 6.5 or higher. But in Game 7’s, defense tends to dominate the situation, even with a high-powered team like Edmonton.

Players to Watch

Will the legend of Arturs Silovs write another strong chapter, or will the fairy tale end here? Silovs’ NHL career prior to the playoffs consisted of NINE NHL games spread across two seasons, but with two goaltenders hurt in the Nashville series, the 23-year-old Latvian has been pressed into emergency service.

For the most part, he’s played outstanding. In Game 6, he was not that. He’ll have to be at his best, as will Vancouver blue-liner Quinn Hughes. Only two goals all series have been scored with Hughes on the ice, and he can expect a lot of ice time as the Canucks try to gum up the McDavid-Draisaitl pairing.

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The pressure is on for Connor McDavid. This is his third Game 7 of his career, and he’s had one strong game and one disappearance. Two years ago, he scored two points in eliminating Los Angeles, which the Oilers knock out every year. In 2017, however, he went scoreless against Anaheim, and Edmonton lost. McDavid’s got this and one more shot with Draisaitl before his partner hits free agency in 2025, and he’s got to make sure not to squander this chance.

The Pick

Vancouver couldn’t get the job done against a desperate Edmonton in Game 6, but the Canucks have still had far more go their way than against them in this series. There’s no pressure whatsoever on Vancouver here, even more so with Brock Boeser injured.

Legendary North Carolina coach Dean Smith loved to say that you can play one great game without a key player. Vancouver feels like it’s got one great game left in it. Time to ride the upset.