Oilers, Canucks embrace heightened intensity of rubber match in wake of McDavid suspension

Players from the Vancouver Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers scuffle as Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner lays on the ice during the second period of NHL action in Vancouver on Jan. 18, 2025. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press) (ETHAN CAIRNS/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Few – likely no one – involved in Thursday night’s rematch between the Edmonton Oilers and the Vancouver Canucks is bracing for a potentially physical game.

On the contrary.

Players and coaches on both sides of the rubber game from Saturday night’s 3-2 Canucks win in Vancouver that ended with a melee and resulted in the suspension of the Oilers' and National Hockey League’s best player are embracing Thursday’s heightened expectations of on-ice intensity.

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Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet told media Thursday morning he’s “glad” his team is facing their Pacific Division rivals so soon not only after Saturday’s showdown but also following Vancouver’s Tuesday home loss to their 1970 expansion cousins, the Eastern Conference cellar-dwelling Buffalo Sabres.

“I think we need this,” said Tocchet, who won the Jack Adams Award last season as the NHL’s top coach after leading the Canucks to a first-place finish atop the Pacific, five points ahead of the Oilers, before losing to Edmonton in the second round of the playoffs.

“You’ve got to embrace it as a player. You want to play these games. You want to play a heated rival. Who wants to play in a non-hit, nothing game? Those games suck ... These are the games you play hockey for. This is a great game to coach, a great game to play.”

Beyond being a divisional and regional rivalry, Thursday’s game at Edmonton’s Rogers Place (7 p.m.) has the potential to be a grudge match after Oilers star Connor McDavid was suspended three games by the NHL for his cross-check on Canucks forward Conor Garland in the dying seconds of Saturday’s clash.

At that time of the game, the Oilers had possession in the Canucks zone when Garland and McDavid tangled in the slot in front of the Vancouver goal. Garland pinned McDavid to the ice, which not only immobilized one of the league’s top scoring threats but prevented the Oilers from making point shots. A frustrated McDavid got up and cross-checked Garland.

The NHL also banned Canucks defenceman Tyler Myers for three games for a similar cross-check to the face of top-pairing Oilers blueliner Evan Bouchard during the melee.

Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said his players don’t “go out of (their) way to finish checks,” they’re one of the best teams in the NHL at limiting scoring chances (third in both shots on goal against and unblocked shot attempts against) “and a lot of that has to do with us not running around, getting out of position to finish checks.”

“There are pros and cons of playing that physical style, but (not) giving up chances is one of the pros of it (and) is a strength of ours,” he told media after the Oilers' morning skate.

“But for other teams wanting to be physical against us and wanting to hit, we have absolutely no issues with that. There are certainly no players that are afraid of that. It’s just part of the game.”

Oilers forward Connor Brown said it’s important that he and his teammates are “not scared in there” but that the Blue and Orange need to focus on their offensive strengths.

“We can play just as hard as any group, but I think what sets us apart is our puck play,” Brown told reporters.

“With that being said, it’s important to establish ourselves physically and make sure that they have to stop their feet, especially their top players, and that it’s a muddy track for them, but at the same time, not letting what makes our group so good slip away and making sure our puck plays are good.”

Bouchard echoed Brown’s and Knoblauch’s sentiments, adding the Oilers have shown they “can win in a lot of different ways.”

“Winning different ways is going to be big come playoff time,” Bouchard said. “If we have to go run around and hit – it’s not necessarily our style – we can do it, but we want to stick to our game plan, keeping things fast and going from there.”

Canucks winger Jake DeBrusk said his team wants to “right the ship” after the loss to the Sabres and keep the playoff race in mind. Coming into Thursday’s game, the Canucks (20-16-10) sit one point behind the Calgary Flames for the final wildcard playoff spot in the Western Conference and 11 points behind the Oilers (29-15-3), who are in second place in the Pacific.

“We need the points,” said DeBrusk, an Edmonton native and son of broadcaster and ex-Oiler Louie DeBrusk.

“Obviously, it’s a tight race right now and Edmonton is ahead of us. We want to catch them, and these games are worth four (points) for us, so that’s how we look at it.”

Projected Oilers lineup

Forward

Vasily Podkolzin • Leon Draisaitl • Viktor Arvidsson

Mattias Janmark • Ryan Nugent-Hopkins • Zach Hyman

Corey Perry • Adam Henrique • Connor Brown

Jeff Skinner • Noah Philp • Kasperi Kapanen

Defence

Mattias Ekholm • Evan Bouchard

Darnell Nurse • Troy Stecher

Brett Kulak • Ty Emberson

Goal

Calvin Pickard • Stuart Skinner