The Edmonton Oilers cannot win the Pacific Division, but home-ice advantage in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs remains in play for the two-time defending Western Conference champions as the Vancouver Canucks arrive on Thursday for the regular-season finale.
Edmonton also will welcome back a key contributor, Zach Hyman, who has not played in two weeks.
The Oilers (40-30-11, 91 points) have a playoff spot sewn up. Which spot remains up in the air, as Edmonton, the Anaheim Ducks (42-33-6, 90 points) and the Los Angeles Kings (35-26-20, 90 points) all play on the final day of the regular season.
Edmonton holds a one-point lead over both division rivals and owns the regulation-wins tiebreaker over both (31 for Edmonton, 25 for Anaheim and 22 for Los Angeles), so getting to overtime would clinch the division’s second-place spot.
However, a regulation loss at home to the Canucks (25-48-8, 58 points), who own the NHL’s worst record, could create chaos depending on what the Ducks do in Nashville and the Kings do in Calgary. The Oilers still could end up in the division’s second or third spot, or they could fall all the way to the conference’s last wild-card spot.
If the latter happens, Edmonton would have a best-of-seven series against the Colorado Avalanche, who own the league’s best record. Colorado claimed a 2-1 shootout victory in Edmonton on Monday.
Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters after practice on Wednesday, hours before the Vegas Golden Knights won the Pacific Division title with a 4-1 home win over the Seattle Kraken, that the plan for Thursday was to play to win and get the best seed possible.
The return of Hyman will boost the Oilers’ chances, the coach said. In just 57 games, the forward ranks third on the team with 31 goals.
Hyman, 33, last played on April 2. Since then, he has been out with an undisclosed injury as the Oilers wanted him ready for the postseason. Knoblauch noted the team’s past four games, a 1-1-2 stretch that includes three one-goal losses, show Hyman’s value.
“He’s cleared and he’s healthy,” Knoblauch said, “so I think that it’s a good idea to put him in and see what he can do. Obviously, it’s not just him finding his game and getting ready for the playoffs. (Thursday) is a very important game for us.”
Despite the Canucks being in last place, they have embraced a spoiler role in the past week. Vancouver has won three straight, all in overtime or a shootout by a 4-3 score. The games were on the road against the Ducks and a San Jose Sharks team that was then still in contention, and Tuesday in the Canucks’ home finale against the Kings.
Jake DeBrusk scored two goals against Los Angeles, including the game-winner at 2:58 of overtime.
Even though the Canucks’ season will end Thursday night, coach Adam Foote is happy with the way the team came together after the trade deadline that saw the club deal several veterans.
For instance, right after Vancouver took a 2-1 lead in the first minute of the second period on Tuesday, the Kings tied it 12 seconds later and took the lead after another 73 seconds. Foote said that if that happened earlier in the season, the Canucks would have spiraled. In this instance, they rallied.
“We’re doing things right,” he said. “We’re playing as a team. They’re sticking to the game plan.”
