Oilers vs Flames

The 31-year wait is over. For the first time since 1991, the Flames and Oilers meet in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Welcome to the Battle of Alberta, where the ...

It's 5-2 Flames, who are now on the power play. when it was just 3-0. On the next sequence, Johnny Gaudreau found Matthew Tkachuk for a deflection past Koskinen to make it 6-2. Edmonton has scored four times on 14 shots. He just got cooked on a quick turnaround by Zach Hyman to make it 6-4. It’s the only thing that’s keeping Calgary ahead. I'm reaching deep into my memory banks for a playoff game that one team dominated this thoroughly while still making more than enough mistakes to give the game away. It’s the highest-scoring Battle of Alberta game of all time. Connor McDavid is having a transcendent postseason, averaging two points per game against Los Angeles and four points (so far!) tonight. I think you try to park that game as quickly as possible, get straight to work at special teams, and hope you can count on Mike Smith to deliver something approaching average goaltending in Game 2. If you're Calgary, you have to like the way you jumped all over Edmonton early and dominated the parts of the game that had any structure to them at all. The 31-year wait is over.

The Oilers, meanwhile, need Connor McDavid to go supernova like he did against L.A., Mike Smith to be as good as he's ever been and their power play to be out ...

I’m looking forward to the match-up between Sutter, who has coached 1,397 regular season NHL games and 177 in the playoffs, and Jay Woodcroft, who has just 38 regular season games (26-9-3) and seven in the post-season on his resume. The Oilers won 5-2 and 5-3 in the first two meetings of the season while the Flames prevailed 3-1 and 9-5 in the back half of the series. If I’m picking a goaltender to build a team in front of, I’m taking Vezina Trophy finalist Jacob Markstromof the Flames over Mike Smith every day of the week, especially when you look at Smith’s birth certificate. I’m taking the Oilers, and here’s why, but with a not-so-minor caveat — the health of Leon Draisaitl, who played Game 7 against the Kings with a high ankle sprain. And what’s not to like about Hyman? He never gives up on a puck. Simply put, the consensus is the Flames have a lot of ways to take care of business in the BOA. The Oilers, meanwhile, need Connor McDavid to go supernova like he did against L.A., Mike Smith to be as good as he’s ever been and their power play to be out of this world or it’s going to be no cigar. He goes to and excels in tough areas. I still give the edge to Markstrom, who was .943 in the first round, over Smith, .928, but it’s tight. If I’m reading it right, it’s not so much media types predicting the outcome expect the Flames to outclass the Oilers and blow them away, it’s more that they’re seen as a tick better everywhere. I’m not so sure I see such a significant difference when it comes to winning a seven-game series here and now. I don’t see how the Oilers win this series if Draisaitl, who led the Oilers with 5-6-11 against the Flames, can’t play beyond giving the ankle a test tonight. Over at NHL.com, 11 of 15 writers making predictions are taking the Flames.