In Toronto, when the going gets tough the Maple Leafs are like ice cream on a hot August sidewalk.
In Winnipeg, the Jets treat post-season road games like crash-test dummies treat concrete walls.
Vancouver is a train wreck. Ottawa has been waiting to take that next step for about five years now. Calgary has been slightly below average for about two decades and Montreal remains a work in progress.
Meanwhile, Canada’s team is going to its third Western Conference final in four years and seems to be getting stronger by the game.
In playoff hockey, you either face the pain and pressure head on or you take the easy away out and while the Jets and Leafs are melting on the big stage, the Edmonton Oilers are turning into rock stars when the spot light is at its most intense.
In the last four years they are 8-1 when they have a chance to close out a series and in their last three playoff runs they are an astonishing 20-4 in Games 4 through 7.
In the biggest moments, the Oilers deliver their best.
Like rolling into Vegas Wednesday night and calmly grinding out a 1-0 overtime decision to eliminate the 110-point 2023 Stanley Cup champions in five games.
Like coming back after losing the first two game against Los Angeles by coming back from a 4-3 deficit late in the third period of Game 3 and from a 3-1 deficit in the third period of Game 4.
A titanium spine, forged by years of gruelling post-season battles, is serving this club well.
“It’s a collection of going through some high-stakes games,” said long-serving defenceman Darnell Nurse. “We have a lot of belief in each other. Guys really care about the team. It’s definitely a different team now, a calm team. It’s a lot of guys who’ve been through a lot of different experiences in this league.”
Nurse has seen a lot of Oilers teams during his tenure, including one that went to the Stanley Cup Final last year, but two rounds into this year’s playoffs he thinks this one might be the best of them all.
“I would say so,” said the 10-year veteran. “I would say we’re as deep a team as I’ve played on. You go through the lineup and guys can score, guys can check, there’s a commitment to playing the right way.
“There is a high level of confidence for every guy to be out there in any situation. We definitely have the pieces, now it’s about continuing to hammer away. With two series left, we’re far from a finished product.”
As the Oilers evolve, they are becoming a team that not only rises to the kind moments that scare other teams away, but one that is winning games in just about every possible way there is to win a hockey game.
They’ve won 7-4, 6-4 and 5-4 this year. They’ve also won 3-0, 1-0 and 3-1.
They’re 3-0 in overtime games.
They’ve won games where Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl run rampant on the opposition. They’ve won games where their depth players carried the day. They’ve won with their backup goalie. They’ve won with their starter. They’ve won when their power play isn’t firing.
Depth? They’ve only played 11 playoff games and 13 of their forwards already have a goal. In their eight wins, seven different players have game winners.
Something special is happening here.
“It’s been a process to get to where we are today and I truly believe we took another step tonight (in beating Vegas),” said Stuart Skinner, who used the last two games to beat his online critics to a quivering pulp. “It shows a lot of character in the room.”
In the last two games of the Vegas series, McDavid and Draisaitl combined for just two assists. No problem. Adam Henrique, Evander Kane and Kasperi Kapanen handled the offence while Skinner and the Edmonton’s stifling defence posted 3-0 and 1-0 shutout wins.
The top team in the Pacific Division, two years removed from a Stanley Cup championship, trailing a series 2-1, couldn’t score a single goal in the final six periods.
“Coming into a tough building and winning a 1-0 game when it matters most, we can play that way,” said McDavid. “We can score goals. Whatever it takes, we can win games.
“We have a good team, we keep showing it. We’ve beaten two really good teams in L.A. and Vegas.”
This doesn’t mean they’re going all the way. Dallas is a formidable power team with no shortage of weapons but, as we’ve seen, when the Oilers are at their best there aren’t many teams that can keep up.
After a wonky start that can be attributed to their injury struggles down the stretch, they are 8-1 in the last nine games against Los Angeles and Las Vegas. That’s no joke.
And, oh yeah, their most important defenceman, Mattis Ekholm, might be coming back for the next round.
E-mail: rtychkowski@postmedia.com
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