The Vancouver Canucks are coming home for a game seven tilt against the Edmonton Oilers.
Head Coach Rick Tocchet said he liked the way his team played the first period, but that the Canucks weren’t as aggressive in the second and third periods. That being said, the Canucks are confident coming home for the final game of the series in their own building and Tocchet had a strong message for his team on how to play in game seven.
“If you’ve got to put that puck in your mouth and skate it out to get it out, you’ve got to do that. If there’s a chance to block a shot, block the shot. If there's a two on one, you’ve got to execute. These are big moments and you're looking for guys to want it, don't be scared of it, go after it,” Tocchet said.
In a series that started out as an instant classic, going to game seven will be a battle and Tocchet says over the next two days they’ll need to rest and be ready for an intense game, noting the players need to “play like you want to be a hero”.
“We are a good bounce back team. I expect us to bounce back. I know we’ll get some good efforts from some guys, I really believe that,” Tocchet said.
The Canucks had an opportunity on a five-on-three at the end of the second period, but weren’t able to capitalize. Brock Boeser said they look at game seven as an opportunity to make some adjustments and finish their looks.
"It's just ebbs and flows of the game and I think we got a couple of good looks on the power play and we didn't score on them and I think you know, those would have been some big goals for our team to get back in the game and we didn't execute, I feel like I personally can be better next game,” Boeser said.
Stuart Skinner, who last took the ice in game three, played in game six, stopping 14 of 15 shots he faced.
“I don't think we shot enough pucks and got enough bodies there and obviously that will be something that we talk about, and something we need to do better for next game,” Boeser said.
Game Summary
Dylan Holloway opened the scoring, which was the fifth time the Oilers have scored first in this series.
Nils Höglander scored the equalizer, Elias Pettersson passing to his linemate from behind the net, Höglander taking a shot, collecting his own rebound and jamming it into the net.
