Canadian rivals set to clash in Round 2

An all-Canadian clash awaits the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the NHL playoffs.

And Vancouver isn’t expecting an easy matchup.

“We’re in for a tough series,” said Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet.

The Canucks advanced with a grinding 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators Friday, winning their best-of-seven opening-round matchup 4-2.

Next up, they’ll take on the Edmonton Oilers, who won Game 5 Wednesday and ousted the L.A. Kings from the first round for the third year in a row.

Game 1 goes Wednesday at 7:20 p.m. in Vancouver.

A second-round meeting between Edmonton and Vancouver means a Canadian team is assured a spot in the third-round Western Conference final.

The Oilers and Canucks have not met in the playoffs since 1992 when Edmonton won the second-round series in six games.

Vancouver won all four regular-season contests between the two teams this year.

Canucks forward J.T. Miller said Friday he hadn’t thought about who his team will face next, but he noted Vancouver weathered a lot to grind out a series win over Nashville.

“(The Predators) they play so hard and every single line competes,” he said.

“They don’t give you freebies. They are very aggressive, so I think sometimes we got our looks because of their aggressive nature. When they are on, they are very hard to play against. They block so many shots. It’s very frustrating up front. You feel like you did everything right to get the look and they are in the lane.

“It was a hell of a series. Obviously, tonight could have went either way. I think either way and both teams would have felt good about how they played today.”