Stanley Cup Playoffs: Edmonton Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks series preview
The Stanley Cup Playoffs series between the Edmonton Oilers and Chicago Blackhawks will feature a lot of goals.
The play-in round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs starts on August 1. There are several intriguing play-in round series, but it’s likely none of them will see more offense than the one between the Edmonton Oilers and Chicago Blackhawks.
If you like offense, this series should be right up your alley. The Oilers and Blackhawks both love to score goals and each of their defenses have enough question marks that the other team should be able to exploit them.
This series might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Some hockey fans like to see physical hockey with strong defenses. But for those of us who just want to see a ton of goals, Chicago and Edmonton should give us the high-scoring games we’ve been craving since mid-March.
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Because it’s been a while since either team has played, here’s a reminder of how each team got to this point.
EDMONTON OILERS
Before this season, everyone’s big question was could Leon Draisaitl take his game to the next level. Draisaitl answered it with a resounding “yes”. He proved himself to be as good as Connor McDavid, and maybe even better. Draisaitl won the Art Ross this season by picking up 110 points, 13 more than McDavid, who came in second.
The Oilers finally gave their two superstars the depth scoring they needed. New head coach Dave Tippett was successful in making his team better defensively while not sacrificing too much offense. Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith formed a surprisingly effective goaltending tandem. All of this led to the team finishing second in the Pacific Division.
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
Nobody was expecting the Blackhawks to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But after winning five of their last seven games, here they are. Of course, they needed an expanded postseason to get in. But that doesn’t matter. They’re in and they’ve got to be feeling the pressure to win with an aging core.
Patrick Kane had another brilliant season. Dominik Kubalik provided a much-needed spark to Jonathan Toews’ forward line. Toews himself had a surprisingly good season. Chicago’s a flawed team, but they were just barely unflawed enough to make the postseason.