G10+ Game Notes: Oilers and Canucks Looking for More 5×5 Offence

When an NHL best-of-seven series is tied 2-2, the winner of Game 5 wins the series 79.1% of the time with an all-time record of 231-61.

— It isn’t hyperbole to state tonight is a massive game for both the Canucks and Oilers. The Oilers are 8-0 all-time when they win Game 5 of a series tied 2-2. Vancouver is 3-1.  Historically, teams are 147-35 when winning Game 5 at home, and road teams are 84-26. The Oilers are 4-0 all time when winning on the road while Vancouver is 1-1 when they win at home.

— Leon Draisaitl has 10 points through the first four games of this series. Brock Boeser (3-3-6), Evan Bouchard (3-3-6) and Connor McDavid (1-5-6) are tied for second place in the series. Draisaitl now has 97 points in 58 career playoff games and is on pace to become the third-fastest player in NHL history to reach 100 points in the playoffs. Last night, Mikko Rantanen scored his 100th playoff point in his 80th game and tied Glenn Anderson for eighth fastest to 100 points.

Draisaitl will slot in third behind Mario Lemieux and ahead of Jari Kurri. McDavid has 93 points in 58 games and will be the fourth fastest when he reaches 100 points. Draisaitl has been a big-time producer every year in the playoffs, and this year is no different.

— With one point tonight Draisaitl can become the 33rd player to register a 10-game point streak in the playoffs. Bryan Trottier holds the NHL record at 18 games in 1981 with the Islanders, followed by Al MacInnis (17 games with CGY in 1989), Pavel Bure (16 GP with VAN in 1984) and Wayne Gretzky (16 GP with EDM in 1988). Mark Messier has the most 10+ game point streaks with four. He had streaks of 14 (1998 with EDM), 13 (1984 with EDM and 1994 with NYR) and 11 (1990 with EDM).

— The third overall pick in the 2014 NHL draft can become the sixth active player with a 10-game scoring streak, joining Nathan MacKinnon (14 GP with COL in 2020), Evgeny Kuznetsov (11 GP with WSH in 2018), Anze Kopitar (10 GP with LA in 2014), Jonathon Marchessault (10 GP with VGK in 2023) and Mikko Rantanen (10 GP with COL in 2020). In their first 10 games of the streak MacKinnon had 18 points, Rantanen 16 while Kuznetsov, Kopitar and Marchessault had 15 each. Draisaitl already has 20. He has 2+ points in eight of his first nine games this post-season.

— Draisaitl is the ninth player in NHL history to score 20 points in the first nine games in a playoff year. He is only the second player to do it in the last 31 years, joining McDavid who had 20 points in nine games in 2022. The others include Wayne Gretzky (did it four times in eight games 1987, 1985, 1983 & 1981) Mike Bossy (also eight games in 1981), while the rest did it in nine games: Mario Lemieux (1992), Mark Messier (1988), Rick Middleton (1983), Barry Pederson (1983) and Darryl Sittler (1977).

— The Oilers need to score more goals 5×5. The series is tied 2-2 and each team has scored 14 goals. The Oilers have outshot Vancouver 91-63 at 5×5 but have been outscored 8-7. Edmonton needs more players going to the net. Vancouver continues to “pack the house” as all five skaters will collapse down around the net. It has worked for the most part, as the Oilers don’t have bodies in front of Arturs Silov often enough. The Canucks are content allowing the Oilers to maintain possession on the perimeter and cycle the puck, but eventually the Oilers need more forwards funneling towards the net. On Evan Bouchard’s game winner in Game 4, Evander Kane and Dylan Holloway were around the goal. They need to do that more often.

— The Oilers forwards have 49 shots on goal at 5×5 while the D-men have 42. Vancouver doesn’t pressure up high and seems comfortable allowing the Oilers blue liners to shoot, especially when there is no traffic in front. The forwards need more bodies in front, but they also need to drive to the net with the puck more. Warren Foegele has four shots, Kane, Holloway and Ryan McLeod have three, Mattias Janmark has two while Corey Perry and Derek Ryan have one. Those seven forwards have combined for 17 shots 5×5. Not good enough.

— The Oilers forwards have 53.8% of their shots 5×5, while the Canucks forwards have 69.8% of their shots (44 of 63). Vancouver forwards have six goals on 44 shots, while the Oilers forwards have three goals on 49 shots. Edmonton needs more shots from their forwards. Here is a look at the four second-round series along with their shots on goal at 5×5, the split between forwards to defence as well as goals scored. Keep in mind Edmonton and Vancouver have played four games while the other six teams have played five.

Edmonton’s forwards have the lowest % of their team’s shots on goal, by a large margin at only 53.8%. The good news is their D-men have four goals, but they need more shots and goals from their forwards.

— Evan Bouchard reached 40 career playoff points when he scored the game winning goal with 39 seconds remaining in Game 4. He became the third-fastest defenceman in NHL playoff history to reach 40 points. He did it in 37 games and trails only Bobby Orr (33GP) and Brian Leetch (32GP). Cale Makar did it in 39 games.

— The Canucks want more Elias Pettersson. He’s been one of the six “passengers” Rick Tocchet mentioned after game four. They need more from him, and I wonder if we see Tocchet move Pettersson up to play with JT Miller and Brock Boeser tonight and move Puis Suter to the third line. Pettersson and Ilya Mikheyev have combined for no points at 5×5 in the series. Mikheyev has no points in 10 playoff games and only has one goal in his last 60 games since December 18th. He went goalless in 34 games, then scored on March 13th v. Colorado, then went goalless in the final 15 regular season games and now the first 10 playoff games. Pettersson’s new $11.6m AAV kicks in next season, and you can argue he will need to drive a line at that price, but right now he can’t so it might be better for them to move him back alongside Miller and Boeser.

— Quinn Hughes has logged the most 5×5 minutes for Vancouver in the series at 77:24. He has no points and has only been on the ice for one goal for. He hasn’t been on for any goals against, which is impressive, but it is odd how Vancouver has only one goal with him on the ice, but they have seven without him. Hughes has played 23:38 v. McDavid, 22:47 v. Ryan McLeod, 18:06 v. Leon Draisaitl and 16:10 v. Derek Ryan. Remember that nine of those 18 minutes v. Draisaitl came when he was playing with McDavid. If you add minutes when those four were playing centre Hughes has played McDavid (23:38), McLeod (22:47), Ryan (16:10) and Draisaitl (9:03). Hughes hasn’t been able to drive play offensively against the Oilers’ bottom six. Part of that might have to do with him playing so often with Vancouver’s bottom six, who have produced nothing, but if Vancouver is going to win this series, they will need more offence from Hughes at 5×5.