Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet admits that reaching the NHL’s final eight teams means a great deal to him. An upcoming match against the Edmonton Oilers, both Canadian teams, in the next round adds even more excitement.
“We understand that the upcoming series will be challenging,” Tocchet mentioned on Friday night following his team’s 1-0 victory over Nashville in Game 6.
Tocchet, a nominee for the NHL’s coach of the year award, led the Canucks from missing the playoffs last year to claim third place in the West this season. They secured the Pacific Division title with 109 points, winning all four matches against Edmonton.
Despite a series with low shot numbers against Nashville, the Canucks managed to emerge victorious in the final four games, each decided by a single goal.
Pius Suter broke the deadlock with his second postseason goal, scoring with just 1:39 remaining. This became the latest decisive goal in a Canucks series-clinching match, surpassing Daniel Sedin’s goal with 2:03 remaining in Game 6 of the 2010 conference quarterfinals.
Even in the final moments, the Canucks had to fend off a penalty as Nashville pulled their goalie Juuse Saros for an extra attacker. Quinn Hughes, the captain of the Canucks and a finalist for the Norris Trophy, expressed his joy about the victory.
Before this, Vancouver hadn’t won a playoff series outside the pandemic bubble since their journey to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2011. They had previously clinched a series against the Predators in Game 6 in Nashville during that remarkable run.
“We stuck to our game plan throughout the match,” Hughes commented. “We remained resilient. Our team’s defense was solid. Silovs, our rookie goalie, played exceptionally well. We knew we would get our chances. Brock made a fantastic play, and Pius finished it off brilliantly.”
After missing the playoffs last year for the fifth time in franchise history, the Canucks have now reached the second round. They’ve advanced in 2020, 2009, 2007, and 1974 as well.
This upcoming series against the Oilers marks their first postseason matchup since 1992, a second-round series that Edmonton won in six games. The Oilers have been resting since eliminating the Los Angeles Kings in five games on Wednesday night.
