It will take a collective effort from the group to avoid going 2-0 down in the series heading back to Edmonton for Games 3 & 4, but they’ve proven many times – in both the regular season and playoffs – that they can rise to the occasion, learn from their mistakes and play complete hockey.
“I think in most aspects of our game, we know that we can just take another step and raise our level a little bit,” Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said. “Obviously we gave ourselves a chance to win the game, which is always a good sign. We didn't get the job done, but we know that there's another level we can get to. We expect the same from the other side, too, so we want to be sharp from the start like we were last night and continue to be good."
Nugent-Hopkins said following Thursday's practice that his side got away from what makes them successful as a team that can push the pace and generate scoring chances in different ways – including with their skill and hard forecheck that the Canucks met couldn't handle in the first half of Game 1. Their formidable blueline that boasts Nikita Zadorov, Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek combined to allow only eight shots from the Oilers across the final two periods with goaltender Arturs Silovs.
A total of 18 shots for the Oilers in Game 1 was the second-lowest of the McDavid era in Edmonton, along with the Oilers captain being held without a shot in a playoff game for the first time in his career.
"I think we're at our best when we're playing fast, we're moving the puck quick and we're establishing a forecheck and playing in the o-zone,” Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said. “It's pretty obvious that we're a good hockey team. When we play in the o-zone, we move the puck well. we take shots from the point, we go get the puck, and we kind of got away from that a little bit in the second half of the game."