Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Don't Doubt The Edmonton Oilers

04/23/2017 at 9:03am EDT

from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,

One year after finishing in 29th place in the National Hockey League, the Edmonton Oilers closed out their first playoff series in 11 years Saturday, dusting off the defending conference champion San Jose Sharks 3-1 to win their series in six games.

A team hopeful of simply making the playoffs when the season began back in October is now in a conference semi-final against Anaheim. There, the Oilers won’t be favoured, but they’ll have far more than just a puncher’s chance....

“Our team, we’re watching them grow up right in front of us,” marvelled McLellan. “We’ve been through a push into the playoffs. We’ve been through a round now. We’ve learned how intense it is to close out a game. We’ve learned how to respond after a blowout. We’ve learned to manage ourselves throughout a series. We’ve played in a hostile environment.”

And they’ll play again, in a series that will open later this week at Honda Center. They won’t be favoured, but we’ll say this: Edmonton has become a team you’ll bet against at your own peril.

“We’re a real team now,” said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. “A competitive team.”

It’s been a long time since those words were spoken.

Get used to them.

more

Below, watch Connor McDavid post-game...

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About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

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