Tonight is the first time the Oilers have faced elimination this season. Having overcome adversity once already this season there is no doubt that the Oilers have the ability to come back and win this series, but to do so will that a lot of effort and smart play by every one of them tonight,
Looking back on the season I remember at one point we were writing articles about how this team was closer to a draft lottery spot than they were to winning the cup. Coming into the season lots of the media were picking the Oilers to go far, then they laid an egg at the start of the season. Since Kris Knoblauch has come to the team they are the best team in the league and that is the team we need to see tonight.
The problem is the Vancouver Canucks know this as well and will want to dispatch the Oilers tonight and not let them force a game 7 where there is a chance their season will end. I still believe the Oilers are the better team. The thing is they are only the better team when they play their game. When they don’t the Canucks seem to control them.
In game 5 we saw both of these, in the first period the Oilers had control of the play and were the better team in almost every aspect of the play. Then as the game went on they looked to get lazy with their play and the Canucks were able to get back in the game and eventually win. Honestly, the Canucks deserved and earned the game 5 win more than the Oilers. The only complaint from Oilers fans is that the players need to keep their foot down on the gas.
The Oilers can not afford to not play a full 60 minutes tonight. They need to win this game to stay alive. They need to have an impact from every player in the lineup from Connor McDavid to Derek Ryan, they all need to play smart and high-intensity hockey. For the defenceman, they will need to shut everything down. This game could come down to the smallest of errors. Let’s let the Vancouver Canucks players make the errors this game and not the Oilers.
At the end of the day this game has me the most anxious I have been for an Oilers game in a really long time. While it is nice that shows how much this team means to me I would have much rather have had them have won game 5 so I could enjoy the actual game as opposed to tonight where I will be worrying about every little play. Puck drop is at 6 PM MST, and I don’t think I will be able to sit still till the final horn goes.