Flames, Oilers bring potent offences to second-round NHL playoff series
The NHL's first playoff Battle of Alberta in 31 years will be a game of keep away.
The Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers will try to keep the puck off the sticks of each other's top scorers by keeping it on the sticks of their own stars.
Two potent offences clash in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal starting Wednesday in Calgary.
Led by NHL points leader Connor McDavid and prolific teammate Leon Draisaitl for the Oilers, and Calgary's top line of 40-goal men Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk, this second-round series has the potential to be a high-scoring affair.
"Hopefully more on our side," Flames defenceman Michael Stone said. "That's the plan."
Flames goalie Jacob Markstrom, who is a Vézina Trophy nominee, and veteran Oilers counterpart Mike Smith, who just three years ago tended Calgary's net in the playoffs, will be prominent in determining goal volume.
Calgary (50-21-11) topped the Pacific Division ahead of runner-up Edmonton (49-27-6) in the regular season.
Their season series went 2-2, including Calgary's 9-5 win March 26 at the Saddledome.
The Flames and Oilers are the two Canadian clubs still in contention for a Stanley Cup, and one of them will be eliminated.
Alberta's NHL teams clash in the post-season for the first time since 1991. The novelty isn't lost on the province or the players.
"I think people of Alberta have been waiting a long time for this, since 1991," Flames forward Milan Lucic said. "Something to look forward to as a player and an athlete. Something you've got to have fun with."
Both clubs are coming off first-round series that went to a Game 7 at home.
Gaudreau scored the overtime winner in a Sunday's 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars, while McDavid scored and assisted on the other goal in Saturday's 2-0 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.
The Flames' shot differential in a low-scoring series against Dallas was plus-92.
Calgary's challenge in the second round is to bring the same shot mentality that wore down, barely, the Stars and workhorse goaltender Jake Oettinger while preventing the Oilers from doing the same to them.
"They have some world-class players, play with a lot of speed and they're good off the rush, so we've got to be aware when people are on the ice and be ready to reload and stay above (the puck)," Lindholm said.
With McDavid and Draisaitl boasting a league-leading 44 and 41 power-play points respectively in the regular season, the Flames can't afford to get baited into cheap penalties.
"The key for us is to stay five-on-five and stay out of the box," Lindholm said. "They have some good chemistry and have a good power play. Stuff like that is going to be important."
The Swedish winger was announced Tuesday as a finalist for the Selke Trophy that goes to the NHL's top defensive forward.
"When the puck is in our defensive zone, he's always in the right position," Markstrom said of Lindholm. "He carries the puck up the ice and lets those guys, Johnny and Chucky down low, they're so good at creating space and beating guys one on one.
"Then he's in the slot and finished a lot of goals that way. It's just everything he does, all over the ice, it's great to see."
Calgary winning its first playoff series since 2015 — and just its second in the last 17 years — was a mental post-season hurdle cleared, Flames head coach Darryl Sutter said.
"It's not a real good analogy that people use, but they didn't have to bear the cross of the past, so that was the step," Sutter said.
"Because you're in the next round, it's the next tier up. Should resonate how hard it is to make the playoffs, how hard it is to win a round."
Flames defenceman Chris Tanev skated Tuesday after sitting out Sunday's series finale with an undisclosed injury. Calgary's top shutdown blue-liner appeared uncomfortable at times on Tuesday's rushes.
"Don't ask about injuries or who is playing anymore," Sutter said. "Why should a coach get up and talk about somebody who is injured? That's like saying 'here's another cookie.'"
Sutter's 93 career playoff wins is one back of Pat Quinn for sixth all-time.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 17, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.