The battle of the last two Canadian teams standing is going the distance after Edmonton forced Game 7 with a strong 5-1 win on Saturday night.

The Oilers opened as -145 favourites to win on the NHL odds, with the total set at 6.0.

Oilers vs. Canucks NHL Betting Odds

Game 6 bucked the main trend in this series. After the first five games were decided by a single goal, Edmonton ran away with a four-goal win on Saturday. Still, the confidence has to be high in Vancouver. Including the regular season, the Canucks have won seven of 10 matchups against the Oilers overall this year and four of five at home.

Early betting action is split 50/50 on the moneyline, while roughly 53 per cent of bettors are taking Edmonton -1.5 on the puckline at +165. The total is more decisive, with 73 per cent of the action coming in on the Over. The first three games of the series all hit the Over, while Games 4 and 5 went Under and Game 6 was a push.

I’m finding it a bit difficult to explain why there is so little love for Vancouver on the NHL futures board. Of the five teams remaining, the Pacific Division champion Canucks easily have the longest Stanley Cup odds at +1500. By comparison, the Oilers are +500 to win the Cup and the three favourites are the Stars (+190), Panthers (+220) and Rangers (+300).

Here’s a piece of useless, but interesting, NHL trivia for you. If Vancouver wins this series, it will be the first time in NHL history that all four division champions have reached the conference finals.

Edmonton Oilers

Evan Bouchard and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each had a goal and two assists in Game 6, while Connor McDavid finished with three helpers. Dylan Holloway, Zach Hyman and Evander Kane rounded out the scoring. Leon Draisaitl added two assists, increasing his playoff scoring lead to 23 points (8G, 15A). McDavid is second in playoff scoring with 21 points (2G, 19A) and Hyman leads the playoffs with 10 goals. Stuart Skinner wasn’t tested often, but he looked sharp and finished with 14 saves in his first start since Game 3.

Edmonton is 7-7 all-time in Game 7s, including 3-3 on the road. They won their last Game 7, 2-0 against the L.A. Kings in 2022, but they lost their last road Game 7, 2-1 against the Anaheim Ducks in 2017. Corey Perry, who was a healthy scratch in Game 6, has the most experience in Game 7, going 5-5 in his career. Hyman is 1-3 in Game 7s, while McDavid and Draisaitl are each 1-1. Skinner and backup Calvin Pickard have never played a Game 7 in the NHL and head coach Kris Knoblauch has never coached in one.

Vancouver Canucks

Nils Hoglander scored the lone goal for Vancouver on Saturday and Arturs Silovs made 22 saves on 27 shots. Elias Pettersson assisted on the Canucks’ goal, but his continued lack of production is really hurting the team. Pettersson has just six points (1G, 5A) in 12 playoff games this year after finishing just shy of 90 points in the regular season. Brock Boeser (7G, 5A) and J.T. Miller (3G, 9A) have carried the majority of the offensive load with a team-high 12 points each. One positive has been Vancouver’s penalty kill, which is a perfect eight-for-eight against Edmonton over the last two games.

Head coach Rick Tocchet has never coach a Game 7 in the NHL, but as a franchise the Canucks are 6-6 all-time, including 4-3 at home. I’ll rip this band-aid off quick for the Vancouver fans: the Canucks lost their most recent Game 7 at home, 4-0 against the Boston Bruins in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final. Ian Cole is 4-4 in Game 7s, Miller is 1-3 and Tyler Myers is 1-2. Silovs has never played a Game 7 in the NHL. Thatcher Demko, who is still dealing with an undisclosed injury, made 33 saves in a 3-0 loss against Vegas in his only Game 7 in 2020.

Update: It’s a tough blow for the Canucks as Boeser is now expected to miss Game 7 due to blood clotting issues and should Vancouver move on, his status beyond this series is unknown.

NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Oilers vs. Canucks Game 7?

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Oilers Team Leaders

EDM

Points	Connor McDavid 132
+ / -	Mattias Ekholm 44
Shots	Zach Hyman 290
Penalty Mins	Evander Kane 85
Wins	Stuart Skinner 36
GAA	Calvin Pickard 2.45

VAN

Points	J.T. Miller 103
+ / -	Quinn Hughes 38
Shots	Elias Pettersson 207
Penalty Mins	Nikita Zadorov 102
Wins	Thatcher Demko 35
GAA	Thatcher Demko 2.45

EDM

Points	Connor McDavid 42
+ / -	Evan Bouchard 14
Shots	Zach Hyman 90
Penalty Mins	Evander Kane 37
Wins	Stuart Skinner 14
GAA	Calvin Pickard 2.21

VAN

Points	Brock Boeser 12
+ / -	J.T. Miller 5
Shots	J.T. Miller 29
Penalty Mins	Nikita Zadorov 26
Wins	Arturs Silovs 5
GAA	Thatcher Demko 2

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Canucks Team Leaders

EDM

Points	Connor McDavid 132
+ / -	Mattias Ekholm 44
Shots	Zach Hyman 290
Penalty Mins	Evander Kane 85
Wins	Stuart Skinner 36
GAA	Calvin Pickard 2.45

VAN

Points	J.T. Miller 103
+ / -	Quinn Hughes 38
Shots	Elias Pettersson 207
Penalty Mins	Nikita Zadorov 102
Wins	Thatcher Demko 35
GAA	Thatcher Demko 2.45

EDM

Points	Connor McDavid 42
+ / -	Evan Bouchard 14
Shots	Zach Hyman 90
Penalty Mins	Evander Kane 37
Wins	Stuart Skinner 14
GAA	Calvin Pickard 2.21

VAN

Points	Brock Boeser 12
+ / -	J.T. Miller 5
Shots	J.T. Miller 29
Penalty Mins	Nikita Zadorov 26
Wins	Arturs Silovs 5
GAA	Thatcher Demko 2

Injuries

Edmonton

Evander Kane (LW)

Ques Fri Abdominal - 12 / 06 / 24

Darnell Nurse (D)

Prob Thurs Hip - 11 / 06 / 24

Corey Perry (RW)

Ques Sun Shoulder - 31 / 05 / 24

Adam Henrique (C)

Prob Mon Ankle - 23 / 05 / 24

Adam Henrique (C)

Out Mon Ankle - 12 / 05 / 24

Adam Henrique (C)

Ques Fri Lower Body - 03 / 05 / 24

Mattias Janmark (C)

Prob Mon Undisclosed - 20 / 04 / 24

Cody Ceci (D)

Out Wed Rest - 17 / 04 / 24

Darnell Nurse (D)

Out Wed Rest - 17 / 04 / 24

Evander Kane (LW)

Prob Mon Hernia - 15 / 04 / 24

Vancouver

Ilya Mikheyev (RW)

Out Sat Undisclosed - 18 / 05 / 24

Carson Soucy (D)

Elig Thurs Suspension - 13 / 05 / 24

Phillip Di Giuseppe (LW)

Ques Thurs Personal - 12 / 05 / 24

Casey DeSmith (G)

Prob Tues Undisclosed - 28 / 04 / 24

Tyler Myers (D)

Prob Fri Illness - 23 / 04 / 24

Tyler Myers (D)

Out indefinitely Lower Body - 02 / 03 / 24

Phillip Di Giuseppe (LW)

Ques Sat Personal - 22 / 02 / 24

Dakota Joshua (C)

Prob Thurs Upper Body - 15 / 02 / 24

Nikita Zadorov (D)

Elig Thurs Suspension - 10 / 02 / 24

Carson Soucy (D)

Prob Tues Hand - 22 / 01 / 24

Injuries

Edmonton

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Evander Kane (LW)	Ques Fri	Abdominal - 12 / 06 / 24	3-2	4-1	+ -
Kane missed his last game due to an abdomen injury, and it is unclear if he will play Friday's game against the Panthers in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Darnell Nurse (D)	Prob Thurs	Hip - 11 / 06 / 24	3-2	4-1	+ -
Nurse exited the contest with a hip injury, but he is expected to play against the the Panthers in Game 3 of Conference Final.
Corey Perry (RW)	Ques Sun	Shoulder - 31 / 05 / 24	5-4	5-4	+ -
Perry exited the contest with a shoulder injury, and it has yet to be established if he will face the Stars in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final.
Adam Henrique (C)	Prob Mon	Ankle - 23 / 05 / 24	6-7	6-7	+ -
Henrique is dealing with an ankle injury, but he is projected to be available Monday's clash against the Stars in Game 3 Western Conference Final.
Adam Henrique (C)	Out Mon	Ankle - 12 / 05 / 24	7-11	8-9-1	+ -
Henrique is dealing with an unknown ailment, and he will not participate in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Canucks.
Adam Henrique (C)	Ques Fri	Lower Body - 03 / 05 / 24	7-13	10-9-1	+ -
Henrique is bothered by a lower-body injury, and it is uncertain if he will play in Game 2 of the Western Conference second round against the Canucks.
Mattias Janmark (C)	Prob Mon	Undisclosed - 20 / 04 / 24	9-16	13-11-1	+ -
Janmark is tending to an unspecified ailment, but it is not expected to affect his status for Game 1 of the Western Conference first round versus the Kings.
Cody Ceci (D)	Out Wed	Rest - 17 / 04 / 24	10-17	15-11-1	+ -
Ceci will not battle the Coyotes on Wednesday as he will receive a day of rest.
Darnell Nurse (D)	Out Wed	Rest - 17 / 04 / 24	10-17	15-11-1	+ -
Nurse will not be active for Wednesday's clash with the Coyotes as he will be given a day of rest.
Evander Kane (LW)	Prob Mon	Hernia - 15 / 04 / 24	10-18	15-12-1	+ -
Kane is dealing with a sports hernia, but it is projected that he will lace up for Game 1 of the Western Conference first round against the Kings.

Vancouver

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Ilya Mikheyev (RW)	Out Sat	Undisclosed - 18 / 05 / 24	1-1	0-1-1	+ -
Mikheyev is dealing with an unknown injury, and he is not expected to play against the Edmonton on Saturday
Carson Soucy (D)	Elig Thurs	Suspension - 13 / 05 / 24	4-1	2-2-1	+ -
Soucy has received a one-game suspension for cross-checking, and he will be eligible to return against the Oilers in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Phillip Di Giuseppe (LW)	Ques Thurs	Personal - 12 / 05 / 24	4-1	2-2-1	+ -
Di Giuseppe is dealing with a personal matter, and his status for Thursday's game against Oilers is in question.
Casey DeSmith (G)	Prob Tues	Undisclosed - 28 / 04 / 24	8-2	4-5-1	+ -
DeSmith is dealing with an unspecified issue, but it is anticipated that he will play in Game 5 of the Western Conference first round versus the Predators.
Tyler Myers (D)	Prob Fri	Illness - 23 / 04 / 24	9-3	5-6-1	+ -
Myers is hindered by an illness, but it is expected that he will take on the Predators in Game 3 of the Western Conference first round.
Tyler Myers (D)	Out indefinitely	Lower Body - 02 / 03 / 24	15-18	11-19-3	+ -
Myers is sidelined with a lower-body injury, and his status going forward is week-to-week.
Phillip Di Giuseppe (LW)	Ques Sat	Personal - 22 / 02 / 24	16-21	13-21-3	+ -
Di Giuseppe missed the last contest while dealing with a personal matter, and it is unclear if he will take to the ice Saturday versus the Bruins.
Dakota Joshua (C)	Prob Thurs	Upper Body - 15 / 02 / 24	18-23	16-22-3	+ -
Joshua has been assigned to the long-term injured reserve list with an upper-body injury, but he is expected to be activated in advance of Thursday's battle with the Stars.
Nikita Zadorov (D)	Elig Thurs	Suspension - 10 / 02 / 24	18-26	17-24-3	+ -
Zadorov has received a two-game suspension for an illegal check, and he will be eligible to return Thursday versus the Red Wings.
Carson Soucy (D)	Prob Tues	Hand - 22 / 01 / 24	21-28	20-26-3	+ -
Soucy has been activated from the long-term injured reserve list after recovering from a hand injury, and he is expected to return to the ice for Tuesday's showdown with the Kings.