The Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers are set to face off in the postseason for the first time since 2006. They were still the Mighty Ducks at the time of the ’06 Western Conference Finals.
Edmonton won that series in five before falling in seven games in the Stanley Cup Final.
Since that season, these two franchises have gone in very different direction. The Oilers missed the playoffs for 10 straight seasons and had a slew of lottery picks to get back to the postseason. Anaheim has only missed the playoffs twice in the last 11 years, and actually won the Stanley Cup the following year in 2007.
Note: my favorite part of this video is a smiling Ilya Bryzgalov. Look at him. There’s no pretense of the athlete trying to block out the noise and be stoic. He’s taking in every moment.
In the first round, the Anaheim Ducks played a tightly contested but short series against the Calgary Flames. Though the Flames showed spunk and determination, the Ducks were simply the more skilled team and walked away with a sweep.
The Oilers ousted the playoff-tested San Jose Sharks, who were limping into the postseason. It came out after the series that Joe Thornton was playing on a torn MCL and ACL. Logan Couture was having trouble with all the wires in his mouth. Joe Pavelski was uncharacteristically quiet. Things just were not bouncing their way. Edmonton took the series in six games.
Let’s take a look at some of the keys to victory.
Offense: advantage Ducks.
Granted, I think that the Anaheim Ducks are going to have a rude awakening in that the Oilers are a much harder team to score on than the Calgary Flames. Anaheim averaged the second-most goals per game in the postseason with 3.50. They have scored three of more goals in 14 of their last 15 games dating back to the regular season.
And if this Stanley Cup Playoff has taught us anything, it’s that sometimes it’s about getting hot at the right time.
Edmonton has Connor McDavid, yes. But McDavid was not the most active offensive player for the Oilers in round one despite leading the team in points (he took the lead with an empty net goal with a second remaining in Game 6). Leon Draisaitl deserves a ton of credit for being one of the better creators of offense in the series. Plus, let’s look at who got the game-winning goals in each victory: Zack Kassian (x2), David Desharnais, and Anton Slepyshev.
McDavid showed remarkable poise in his first playoff series, and he is a wonder to watch every time he touches the puck. But he cannot do it alone. Milan Lucic has all but disappeared from the Oilers’ offensive attack. Patrick Maroon has been added back to the top line ahead of this series replacing Drake Caggiula, though Maroon had a rough series as well.
Perhaps the Oilers’ attack is more one-dimensional than people think.
Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell had a tremendous opening round, notching five points a piece. Plus, Shea Theodore had five points as well, as we all predicted. The Ducks swept the opening round without even getting the most out of Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler. If they can get those guys going, look out.
Defense: advantage Ducks.
This is closer than people may think. Anaheim was the third-stingiest team in the league in the regular season, but Edmonton was eighth in goals-against per game too. The Ducks are banged up and could be missing Sami Vatanen for even more time, but the Oilers’ Oscar Klefbom has reportedly come down with the flu.
ICYMI, Klefbom felt "almost back to normal" after today's #Oilers practice & fully expects to play in Game 1: https://t.co/w1x93IEdfY pic.twitter.com/UM0xISjFzN
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) April 26, 2017
Edmonton’s defense is a collection of role-players doing their job. Without Vatanen in the lineup, a similar statement could be said about the Ducks’ blueline. The difference will be if and when Vatanen comes back. The Oilers’ big star on defense is Adam Larsson, the man they traded Taylor Hall for. Larsson played 26 minutes in Games 5 and 6 and finished as a -1 averaging one shot on goal per game. While he’s a solid top-four defenseman, he is not exactly a stud.
Plus, the Oilers are the only team to have suffered a loss as bad as 7-0 in this postseason. They showed just how flawed they are capable of being in that one game. Was it a fluke? Yes, to a degree. But it’s emblematic of the fact that they are prone to careless mistakes and marathon defensive shifts.
The home team won four of five regular season meetings this year, and when the winner usually gets at least three goals. Expect this to be an offensive series for sure.
Special teams: advantage Oilers.
For as high-scoring as I anticipate this series to be, the powerplay could be one of the more intriguing aspects of this series. The Oilers were 3-for-17 against the Ducks on the man advantage in the regular season, while the Ducks were 4-for-14. Overall, the Oilers had a top powerplay but a mediocre penalty kill. The Ducks had a tough penalty kill, but a lackluster powerplay.
Anaheim led the NHL with six powerplay goals allowed in the opening round. The Oilers allowed five, but four came in the 7-0 debacle.
I give the narrow edge to the team with the better powerplay. In the postseason, scorers score. The Ducks have shown chinks in their armor on the penalty kill that ought to give the Oilers some confidence.
Goaltending: advantage Oilers.
What a season Cam Talbot is having. After breaking the Oilers’ single-season record with 42 victories, he has carried that success over to the postseason. He has a pair of shutouts and a .927 save percentage. If not for Game 4, Talbot would have finished with some of the best numbers of any goalie this postseason.
John Gibson has been good enough to earn a .926 save percentage, though his goals-against average is 57 points higher than Talbot’s. Gibson has been good enough to earn wins, but I have not been wowed by his performance as I was with Talbot’s in the opening series.
When it comes down to it, the Ducks allow more scoring chances and more high-danger chances than the Oilers do- at least, they have this postseason. Edmonton is going to pounce on that. When it comes down to who is going to be harder to beat, I put my money on the GoalBuster.
Bold Predictions:
1) Leon Draisaitl will lead the team in scoring.
2) Patrick Maroon will have at least two goals against his former team.
3) Rickard Rakell will double his playoff point total.
Prediction: Ducks in 7.
