Battle of Alberta: Calgary Flames fall to Edmonton Oilers

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl dominated the primary playoff Battle of Alberta in 31 years.

It was becoming Edmonton’s dynamic duo mixed to finish it.

McDavid scored off a slick Draisaitl setup at 5:03 of additional time Thursday because the Oilers defeated the Calgary Flames 5-4 to win their second-round collection 4-1.

“Laborious to place into phrases what that one meant to me,” McDavid mentioned. “The fellows did an incredible job of hanging in there all evening. Undoubtedly wasn’t our greatest effort, however we caught in there. Bought nice performances from a bunch of various guys.

“Simply completely happy to contribute on an evening the place I perhaps did not have my finest.”

Edmonton’s captain fired his seventh objective of the post-season previous Jacob Markstrom and off the submit to spark a wild celebration because the Oilers moved onto the Western Convention last for the primary time since 2006.

McDavid grabbed maintain of Edmonton’s first-round collection in opposition to the Los Angeles Kings with the Oilers down 3-2, and raised the bar even larger in opposition to Calgary.

“He is every little thing to us,” Draisaitl mentioned. “He is our chief, he is our go-to man, he is the man that everybody seems as much as whenever you want him. He is performed all of it season, he is performed all of it his profession. He is been wonderful for us. Ultimately you run out of phrases.”

“I simply tried to get my legs going,” McDavid mentioned of the winner. “They weren’t shifting all that effectively all evening — simply attempting to concentrate on skating and bought in on the forecheck and bought the puck to Leo.

“Normally when the puck goes to Leo one thing good’s gonna occur.”

That was definitely the case in a collection the place Draisaitl completed with 17 factors (two objectives, 15 assists) in 5 video games whereas coping with what’s believed to be a lower-body harm suffered late within the opening spherical.

“He was wonderful,” McDavid mentioned of his linemate. “Dominated from begin to end.”

McDavid, who had two objectives and 10 assists in opposition to Calgary, and Draisaitl each have 26 factors by means of 12 post-season video games this spring — the sixth and seventh occasions in NHL historical past a participant has reached that stage.

“With what Connor’s performed, Leon’s efficiency has gone beneath the radar somewhat bit,” mentioned Oilers interim head coach Jay Woodcroft, who changed the fired Dave Tippett on Feb. 10 and now has Edmonton eight wins from the Stanley Cup. “He is the perfect passer within the Nationwide Hockey League — the perfect passer on the planet. And the quantity of performs that he makes for our staff is unbelievable. To do this with what he is going by means of, he is an absolute warrior.

“Once I walked into that room (in) February, I used to be bullish on our gamers as a result of I noticed a honest need to win. Not simply the will to win, however I noticed individuals prepared to pay the value to win.”

Zach Hyman, with a objective and two assists, Darnell Nurse, Jesse Puljujarvi and Evan Bouchard additionally scored for the Oilers. Mike Smith made 32 saves.

Draisaitl added 4 assists — his fifth straight contest registering three-plus factors to construct on the NHL playoff file he set in Sport 4.

The Oilers will face both the Colorado Avalanche or St. Louis Blues within the third spherical. Colorado leads that collection 3-2, with Sport 6 set for Friday in St. Louis.

Mikael Backlund, with a objective and an help, Johnny Gaudreau, Calle Jarnkrok and Andrew Mangiapane replied for Calgary. Blake Coleman chipped in with two assists, whereas Markstrom made 30 saves.

The Flames received a wild Sport 1 by a 9-6 scoreline, however had been unable to ever actually discover one other stage after topping the Pacific Division within the common season.

“The collection was about Video games 2, Video games 4 and Video games 5 … they had been all tied within the third interval midway by means of,” Calgary head coach Darryl Sutter mentioned.

“Edmonton scored the large objective.”

Coleman, who received the Cup the final two seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning, appeared to snap a 4-4 tie with slightly below six minutes left in regulation when Backlund took the puck exhausting to Edmonton’s web. However the objective was waved off following a video evaluation after it was dominated the winger kicked the puck over Smith’s objective line as he battled with Oilers defenceman Cody Ceci.

“I do not suppose I perceive the rule,” Coleman mentioned. “My understanding is you possibly can direct the puck, however you simply cannot kick it. I did not really feel that I kicked it.

“Unlucky that was such a giant a part of the sport and occurred to affect the way in which all of it went down.”

Along with his staff trailing 1-0 after a tentative first interval, Woodcroft changed Evander Kane with Hyman on the highest line alongside Draisaitl and McDavid early within the second, and it almost paid off on a few good alternatives.

However the Flames, who bested the Oilers by seven factors within the regular-season standings, went up 2-0 at 5:41 when Backlund scored his fifth on a deflection.

The Oilers bought on the board at 7:40 after Draisaitl discovered Nurse within the slot for him to fireplace his second previous a screened Markstrom.

Edmonton tied it up simply 2:26 in a while a 3-on-1 rush when the Calgary goaltender, who was shaky many of the collection, may solely get a chunk of Hyman’s shot earlier than Puljujarvi swept dwelling his second because the Oilers erased one other multi-goal deficit on the street.

The offensive floodgates then actually opened over a wild stretch that may see 4 pucks discover the again of the online in 71 seconds.

Hyman scored his sixth objective of the collection, and eighth of the post-season, on an influence play at 14:57 earlier than Gaudreau tied issues once more at 15:12 together with his third.

Jarnkrok then scored his first as a member of the Flames since coming over in a commerce with the Seattle Kraken at 15:28 to make it 4-3.

However the Oilers responded once more at 16:08 when Bouchard’s blast beat Markstrom for his second because the groups set an NHL file for the quickest 4 objectives in playoff historical past — 22 seconds wanting the earlier mark set by the Philadelphia Flyers and Toronto Maple Leafs in 1976.

“It was loopy,” mentioned Draisaitl. “I’ve by no means seen something prefer it.”

Following a tepid begin for each groups inside a nervous Scotiabank Saddledome, the Flames nudged in entrance at 10:13 of the primary when Mangiapane took a terrific go from Coleman to bury his third.

The winger’s first level of the collection gave his staff its first lead since late within the second interval of Sport 2 — a stretch of precisely 155 minutes — that began a run of three straight losses to push Calgary to the brink of elimination.

And after a wild second interval and McDavid’s heroics, the Oilers now are shifting onto the third spherical for the primary time in a era.

“To do that in opposition to your arch rival and shut them out of their constructing within the vogue that we did, we’ll take pleasure in it,” Woodcroft mentioned. “We will relaxation up and recuperate.

“Whoever comes out of that different collection goes to be a extremely good opponent.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Might 26, 2022.