NEW YORK – An All-Canadian edition of the spectacle and drama of Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs is set for Monday, May 20, when the Vancouver Canucks play host to the Edmonton Oilers with a berth in the Western Conference Final on the line. Monday’s game will be broadcast by Sportsnet, CBC and TVAS (Canada) and ESPN (U.S.) at 9 p.m., ET.
Monday’s contest will feature Canadian teams squaring off in a Game 7 without attendance restrictions for the first time in more than 20 years. In 2021, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens played their First Round decider in front of 550 invited frontline health-care workers at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto due to pandemic restrictions. Prior to that, the 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs featured Vancouver-Calgary and Toronto-Ottawa showdowns on consecutive nights to conclude the opening round (April 19-20, 2004). The Canucks and Oilers have never faced each other in a Game 7.
The host Canucks are 6-6 all-time in Game 7s, with their most recent appearance being a 3-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2020 Second Round, played at the neutral site of the secure ‘bubble’ at Rogers Place in Edmonton. Excluding the neutral site contest, this will mark the Canucks’ seventh consecutive Game 7 played in front of a home crowd since 2003 (3-3).
The visiting Oilers are 7-4 in 11 previous Game 7 appearances, the most recent being a 2-0 home victory over the Los Angeles Kings in the 2022 First Round. Edmonton’s Game 7 winning percentage of .636 ranks third among franchises with a minimum of 5 GP, topped only by the Tampa Bay Lightning (.700, 7-3) and San Jose Sharks (.667, 8-4).
The player with the most Game 7 experience on each roster is a veteran free agent acquisition in his first season with the club. Canucks defenseman Ian Cole is 4-4 in 8 Game 7s with four teams: Pittsburgh, Colorado, Minnesota and Carolina. Cole’s counterpart on the Oilers is forward Corey Perry, 5-5 in 10 Game 7s, also with four teams: Anaheim, Dallas, Montreal and Tampa Bay.
In a Game 7 rarity, both sets of head coaches and starting goaltenders will be making their first such appearance. The most recent matchup occurred in the opening round of the 2008 postseason, when the Philadelphia Flyers (Coach: John Stevens; Goaltender: Martin Biron) edged the Washington Capitals (Coach: Bruce Boudreau; Goaltender: Cristobal Huet) 3-2 in overtime.
This marks the 17th consecutive Stanley Cup Playoffs that will feature at least three Game 7s. In the two previous winner-take-all games in 2024, the opposing teams (Boston vs Toronto and Dallas vs. Vegas) were tied or separated by one goal 100% of the time (121:54 out of 121:54).
For more information, view the #NHLStats Pack on Canucks-Oilers Game 7.
Game 7 Trends
* The team that scores first is 148-48 (.755) in the 196 all-time Game 7s in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (1-1 in 2024).
* Home teams own a 115-81 (.587) edge in the 196 all-time Game 7s in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (2-0 in 2024).
* 101 of the 196 all-time Game 7s in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (51.5%) have been decided by a one-goal margin, including both thus far in 2024.
* 49 Game 7s in the Stanley Cup Playoffs have required overtime (25.0%). Home teams have a 26-23 edge in those contests (1-0 in 2024).
