#Canucks look playoff-ready, nearly seal Pacific crown with convincing win over Oilers. theathletic.com/5413421/2024/0…

#Canucks move to the precipice of winning the Pacific on a night the stars didn’t stuff the boxscore.

Suter + Lafferty scored, while DeSmith stoned the Oilers. None of them were on the team last season.

Credit Allvin and co. VAN isn’t here without a successful depth overhaul.

Thatcher Demko embracing DeSmith after his post game interview for the #Canucks

Dakota Joshua scored into an empty net and the 2023-24 Vancouver #Canucks are going to win (even if it won’t be officially clinched tonight) the Pacific Division for the first time in franchise history.

#Canucks PP1 didn't score there, but in contrast with some of what we've seen the past few months, that was a sick sequence. Sharp and dangerous.

Evander Kane misses a check on Sam Lafferty, and is assessed a tripping penalty.

Would've been a 3-on-0 scoring chance if the officials hadn't belatedly made the call. #Canucks

Oilers started moving the puck quickly on the breakout in the latter stages of the 2nd, and it shifted things somewhat.

#Canucks up 2-1. If EDM cares about the division they should tactically consider themselves down by 1.5 goals, and chase the regulation comeback accordingly.

Oilers get one back off of an Evander Kane deflection.

That's a tough bounce for the #Canucks . They'd been playing suffocating defense all period, and were structurally sound on that play too.

Pius Suter with his fiyrst goal in a while, and it's a lovely deflection of a Tyler Myers slap pass.

Oilers had been playing into Vancouver's hands for most of the frame. You could feel that one coming from a mile away. 2-0 #Canucks

#Canucks are just so comfortable playing with a lead.

Manage the puck conservatively, keep up the down ice pressure, use your forecheck to herd your opponent into the neutral zone wedge and counter fast.

They expertly lie in wait for the other team to make a mistake.

Very controversial, very hot take: The Oilers power play doesn't look quite as dangerous without Connor McDavid in the lineup.

Don't @ me.

Delayed penalty called against Tyler Myers for high sticking Evander Kane. Oilers PP goes to work early in the second period. #Canucks

#Canucks open the scoring.

Sam Lafferty beats Stuart Skinner with a rush wrist shot with 15.9 remaining in a first period that Edmonton has largely controlled.

Been a lopsided first period for the most part, but a couple of consecutive strong shifts from the Miller + Blueger lines finally resulted in some quality Vancouver looks.

Boeser missed a wrist shot high off of the rush, and Mikheyev was stoned from point blank range. #Canucks

#Canucks put together their best shift of the first period, as Höglander and Pettersson combined down low nicely, before kicking it up high where Hughes set up a glorious Mikheyev scoring chance.

Mikheyev just couldn't quite find the handle on the one-timer.

#Canucks have found their legs territorially the past few shifts, but have yet to really generate a heavy shift.

You'd have to say that the Oilers have started tonight like they care about winning the division. #Canucks

#Canucks confirm that head coach Rick Tocchet, who was absent from morning skate on Saturday due to illness, will be behind the bench vs. Oilers.

#Canucks projected lineup Saturday vs. Oilers based on line rushes in the warmup skate:

Mikheyev-Pettersson-Höglander
Suter-Miller-Boeser
Joshua-Lindholm-Garland
Podkolzin-Blueger-Lafferty

Hughes-Hronek
Soucy-Myers
Zadorov-Cole

DeSmith

Yeah this is a mess of a statement that says nothing and looks unhinged in all caps.