Oilers 5, Canucks 1: Missed shots, missed opportunities (2024)

Hitting the net isn’t exactly a deep point to make about how to win a hockey game, but the Vancouver Canucks disregarded this advice on Saturday night in Edmonton.

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Faced with a chance to advance to the Western Conference final for the first time since 2011, the Canucks put in their weakest effort of the playoffs and lost 5-1 to the Oilers.

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The game ended badly, but through 20 minutes there were few signs it would end up as it did.

Sure, the Oilers scored first — a brilliant effort by Oilers youngster Dylan Holloway — but the Canucks pulled that Edmonton advantage back relatively quickly on an in-close strike by Nils Höglander, his first of the playoffs, and Vancouver ended up controlling much of the overall play in the first period.

The quality of their shots was better, they pressed in board battles better, and they just were well-positioned to carry on forward.

But their second period turned into a black hole of offence. They struggled to get inside, whether it was at even strength or on the power play, and missed the net far too often.

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Indeed, through two periods the Canucks had flat-out missed the net on 18 of their 35 shot attempts.

It’s one thing to miss a third of your shots, which actually happens more often than you think. But to miss half of them? Inexcusable.

The missed shots were symptomatic of a lack of overall energy in their play.

Edmonton scored twice in the second, once when Zach Hyman was left all alone in the slot, then a third by Evan Bouchard from the point.

A hustling-to-the doorstep effort by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins saw Edmonton get their fourth and sealed the win. Evander Kane added the fifth in garbage time.

A star erupts

Connor McDavid has not looked himself for much of this season.

Is he still hurt? Is he sick?

Whatever it is, he showed no effects on Saturday.

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The world’s best player brought his A-game. He had three assists. He kept the Canucks on their toes all night.

You figured he wouldn’t go quietly into the night. And he didn’t.

Missing the net

Pius Suter missed a glorious chance off a rebound in the first period, failing to find the twine behind Stuart Skinner despite having most of the net to hit.

It would prove to be a major metaphor for the rest of the game for the Canucks.

The Canucks actually started hitting the net in the final period, but again, too little too late.

The Canucks ended the night with just 15 shots on goal, against 25 total misses. In general, you can expect a team to hit the net one-third of the time, to have their shot attempts blocked about one-third of the time, and to miss the net one-third of the time.

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“It’s not a recipe for success,” Elias Pettersson admitted about hitting the net so rarely.

Misfire on power play

“I don’t know if we overdid it,” Pettersson pondered about his team’s power play missing out on a crucial second period 5 on 3. They did get a couple scoring chances in close, but in the end it could have been a pivotal moment in the game, instead it just further reinforced Edmonton’s advantage.

It could have been an emotional boost too, since the Canucks had killed off an Edmonton 5-on-3 earlier in the second period.

Hit count

The Canucks had hammered the Oilers all series and had broken through 40 hits per game four games in a row.

But they only managed 39 hits on Saturday, 10 fewer than Edmonton, who heard the physicality bell and responded far better than Vancouver.

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Gotta stop that

Bouchard’s missile from the point was perfect, but Arturs Silovs needed to get that.

And it’s why, in the end, Thatcher Demko is the team’s No. 1 goalie. He’s just a little longer in the arms. He probably gets that.

It’s not why the Canucks lost, but it didn’t help either.

Demko was on the ice for Saturday’s morning skate but didn’t really participate in practice.

He took shots from the scratches late in the session. But he’s not ready.

Rick Tocchet ruled Demko out as an option for Game 7 after Saturday’s loss.

First place for a reason

The Canucks and Oilers have now faced each other 10 times this season.

The Canucks have won seven of those.

The Canucks were first in the division. They didn’t have a hellacious start to the season.

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They earned home ice advantage for a reason. They may have stunk out the joint on Saturday night — but it also wasn’t their joint.

They get to do their business at home in a building that’s rocked all playoffs, where they’ve been thrilled to play.

Left alone

Kevin Bieksa broke it down very well on Hockey Night in Canada, but the breakdown that left Hyman by himself in the slot was pretty ugly.

Inexcusable, really.

J.T. Miller got stuck on the side boards and Brock Boeser was too slow to react. And he couldn’t lift Hyman’s stick, despite an opportunity to do so.

Little moments become big moments that way.

Bottomed-out Boeser

Boeser has had an outstanding playoff run, but this was a struggle.

He had no shots on goal. The Canucks were badly outshot when he was on the ice.

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He’s been much, much better.

Those quick feet

Holloway has a big future. A smart player with good feet? What’s not to like.

The move he made to create his opening for his goal was big-league stuff.

It’s rare that Pettersson and Quinn Hughes can be made to look so silly.

Little moments, big plays. Once again.

Shimmy-shake 2x

Hoglander’s goal is all about a hold-up move by Hoglander himself, then a deft step by Pettersson on the wall.

And great in-close connection between the two, which we saw so often in the regular season.

It was a good reply by the Canucks after the Holloway goal.

And the line had a good shift in the third, too. Pettersson hit the post.

But even if they’d scored it would have been too little, too late.

Still standing

ESPN’s Ryan Clark remains in position to prove all his peers wrong:

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Remember, he’s the only one of 24 people polled at ESPN to pick the Canucks to win, and he picked them to do so in seven.

Fans have fun, at least?

There were plenty of viewing parties around town for this one. There’s the big main one at Rogers Arena.

There’s smaller local ones put on by local municipalities.

And there were events put on by local businesses, like the one at Container Brewing, where yours truly took in the game.

The finish was disappointing of course, but the sun was out and people were still finding a way to enjoy themselves.

They’ll be hoping for better in Game 7 on Monday.

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