By Canadian Press

Five things to know about the NHL playoffs

May 14, 2023 | 3:15 AM

There’s only one game on the NHL schedule tonight and it’s a biggie — the Edmonton Oilers are trying to stay alive with a win at home against the Vegas Golden Knights.

What has a lot of hockey fans upset, especially those in Eastern Canada with jobs to attend on Monday morning, is the 10 p.m. Eastern time start. Maybe Snoop Dogg was on to something when the celebrity rapper questioned the league’s marketing department a few days after indicating he was interested in buying the Ottawa Senators — in a joint partnership, of course.

Here are five things to know about the NHL playoffs:

IT’S ALL ABOUT TONIGHT FOR OILERS

Unlike fishermen, the Edmonton Oilers aren’t spending much time agonizing about the big one that got away Friday.

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The Oilers appeared to be playing the perfect road game, leading the Vegas Golden Knights 2-1 and not giving them much time around the net or in open space.

Then, in an 89-second span — aided by a pair of Edmonton penalties — the Golden Knights scored three times, grabbed a 4-2 lead and hung on for a 4-3 victory. The Golden Knights lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 and can clinch tonight with a win.

The Oilers are positive they can rebound tonight at Rogers Place and force a Game 7 back in Sin City on Tuesday.

The Golden Knights believe they are wearing the Oilers down. In fact, Vegas bench boss Bruce Cassidy said after Friday’s win that his opponents didn’t have the same jump or ‘physicality’ that they showed in Game 4.

Edmonton coach Jay Woodcroft Woodcroft said he doesn’t care what the Knights feel or say, adding that the pressure is all on Vegas to try and close the series in Edmonton.

ALL BETS ARE OFF

When Round 2 of the NHL playoffs started, fans in Toronto and Edmonton were buzzing after popular sports betting sites said the two Canadian squads were favourites to hook up in the Stanley Cup final.

Yesterday, fans in Toronto were watching the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre and a WNBA exhibition game at Scotiabank Arena, with some still complaining about Morgan Rielly’s disallowed goal in Game 5 and a missed opportunity to hoist their first Cup since 1967.

In Edmonton, fans were getting ready for Darnell Nurse’s return to the Oilers’ blue line and their team holding serve to force a Game 7 in the Neon City. They’re also not impressed that Alex Pietrangelo is back in the Golden Knights’ lineup after the defenceman lost his cool in Game 4 and went after Leon Draisaitl with a two-handed slash. For what it’s worth, Draisaitl hasn’t scored since.

Vegas is 8-8 all-time in potential series-clinching games, while Edmonton is 18-19 when facing elimination.

DREAMING ABOUT SKINNER, CAMPBELL 

So, who starts in goal for the Edmonton Oilers tonight? Stop us if you’ve heard this debate before.

The Oilers insist they need a good night’s sleep before deciding if Stuart Skinner or Jack Campbell gets the job of saving the Oilers’ season in tonight’s Game 6.

Skinner has been mercy pulled and-or yanked for poor performance during the first two rounds of the playoffs, but always seems to return to start the next game.

KRAKEN TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT, AGAIN

The Seattle Kraken, who eliminated the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche in seven games in road one, will be playing another Game 7 on the road.

Thanks to Jordan Eberle’s two-goal performance and Philipp Grubauer’s 20 saves, the second-year franchise will be trying to sink the Stars in Dallas on Monday.

Joe Pavelski of the Stars continued to roll by scoring his eighth goal of the second round, establishing a franchise record for the most in a single series.

The winner of the series will face the winner of the Vegas Golden Knights-Edmonton Oilers series in the Western Conference championship final. The Knights played their first NHL season in 2017.

HURRICANES, PANTHERS SET TO CLASH

The Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers have never played each other in the post-season. Matthew Tkachuk has naturally declared his Panthers as underdogs in the Eastern Conference final.

The Hurricanes had the second-best overall record during the regular season, with 52 wins and 113 points. But they struggled to score in the first round against the New York Islanders and then found their game and knocked off the New Jersey Devils in five games.

The wild-card Panthers, relishing their first trip to the conference finals in 27 years, beat the Boston Bruins in seven and Toronto Maple Leafs in five, so another “test” from a regular-season giant likely won’t lead to sleepless nights for the Comeback Cats.

Panthers’ captain Aleksander Barkov, playing his 10th season with Florida, said a berth in the conference final seemed unrealistic in late March, but he’s enjoying the ride now.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 14, 2023.

The Canadian Press