This is only the third time that the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks will face each other in a Stanley Cup Playoff series. Despite being in the same division since the Oilers joined the NHL in 1979, the two Western Canadian teams have only ever crossed paths in the postseason twice – and the last time was over 32 years ago. In 1986, the Oilers swept Vancouver in the best-of-five Smythe Division Semi-Final. Six years later, Edmonton beat the Canucks 4-2 in the best-of-seven Smythe Division Final. That’s it.
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Since that last playoff meeting in 1992, this is only the fourth time that the Canucks and Oilers have both advanced to postseason in the same year. With Game 1 of their Round 2 matchup set for Wednesday, May 8, at Rogers Arena, here’s a look at some historical playoff numbers when these teams match up.
0 – Oilers Home Losses to Canucks in Playoffs
The Oilers have never lost a postseason home game to Vancouver. Edmonton has a 5-0 record against the Canucks at Northlands Coliseum, where the Oilers played for decades before moving to Rogers Place in 2016.
Edmonton opened the 1986 Smythe Division Semi-Final against Vancouver by winning Games 1 and 2 at home before sweeping the series with a Game 3 victory at Pacific Coliseum. In 1992, the Oilers defeated Vancouver in Games 3 and 4 at Northlands and clinched the series with a Game 6 shutout victory in front of their fans.
But while they never won a playoff game at Northlands, the Canucks have enjoyed postseason success in Edmonton; in 2020, when Rogers Place served as the Western Conference “bubble” during the pandemic, Vancouver defeated the Minnesota Wild 3-1 in the best-of-five Qualifying Round, then knocked off the defending champion St. Louis Blues 4-2 in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs before being eliminated 4-3 by the Vegas Golden Knights.
1 – Oilers Playoff Hat Tricks Against Vancouver
Joe Murphy scored three times in Edmonton’s 5-2 victory over the Canucks at Northlands Coliseum on May 6, 1992, giving the Oilers a 2-1 series lead. Murphy’s three-goal performance proved the difference in the game and stands as the only hat trick scored by an Oiler against Vancouver in the playoffs.
Murphy also picked up an assist in the win, giving him four points, which is the most any Oiler has recorded in a postseason game against the Canucks. The closest a Vancouver player has come to scoring a playoff hat trick against…
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