The Edmonton Oilers will play the Vancouver Canucks in the Western Conference Second Round.
The Oilers advanced by eliminating the Los Angeles Kings with a 4-3 win in Game 5 of the first round at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Wednesday.
The Canucks eliminated the Nashville Predators with a 1-0 victory in Game 6 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Friday.
"Generally speaking, super skilled hockey team,” Vancouver defenseman Ian Cole said of Edmonton. “Very, very dangerous. They have guys that have tons of skill, tons of experience. A guy like Corey Perry, who's leading I think active players in playoff games played (201). So they have a really nice mix of players on their team that are good, quality hockey players.
“So it's going to be a challenge. Especially when you have those two guys in [Connor] McDavid and [Leon] Draisaitl. They're difference makers every time they're on the ice, so we're going to have work cut out for us, but it should be fun."
The Oilers, the No. 2 seed from the Pacific Division, will begin the best-of-7 series on the road against the Canucks, the No. 1 seed from the Pacific.
McDavid led the Oilers in the first round with 12 points (one goal, 11 assists), and Draisaitl had 10 points (five goals, five assists). Zach Hyman had seven goals. Stuart Skinner started all five games, going 4-1 with a 2.59 goals-against average and .910 save percentage.
"I mean, obviously the key factor is McDavid, and you know what he's going to be able to do,” Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes said. “We'll enjoy what we did tonight and then look at it tomorrow and the next day."
The Oilers lost all four games in regulation against the Canucks this season, getting outscored 21-7. Draisaitl had four points (three goals, one assist). McDavid (one goal, two assists) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (one goal, two assists) each had three points.
Skinner was 0-3-0 with 4.60 GAA and .830 save percentage in four games. Jack Campbell, who is now in the American Hockey League, started the first game of the regular season against the Canucks, allowing four goals on 16 shots before being pulled in an 8-1 loss on Oct. 11. Current backup Calvin Pickard did not face Vancouver this season.
Brock Boeser (four goals, two assists) and J.T. Miller (one goal, five assists) led the Canucks in the first round with six points each. Hughes had five assists, and Dakota Joshua had four points (two goals, two assists). Arturs Silovs was 2-1 in three starts, including a 28-save shutout in the 1-0 series-clinching win in Game 6, with a 1.70 GAA and .938 save percentage. Casey DeSmith was 1-1 with a 2.02 GAA and .911 save percentage in two starts, and Thatcher Demko was 1-0 with a 2.00 GAA and .917 save percentage in one start.
Hughes led the Canucks against the Oilers with eight points (one goal, seven assists), and Boeser had seven points (six goals, one assist). Miller (two goals, five assists) and Elias Pettersson (one goal, six assists) each had seven points. Demko was 2-0-0 with a 1.67 GAA and .954 save percentage, and DeSmith was 2-0-0 with a 1.82 GAA and .949 save percentage. Silovs did not face the Oilers in the regular season.
Edmonton and Vancouver have faced each other twice in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Oilers winning both times, most recently a six-game victory in the 1992 Smythe Division Finals.
NHL.com independent correspondent Robby Stanley contributed to this report
