The Oilers outscored the Calgary Flames in their best of seven series, winning four straight games after a disappointing first season and will now face the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals. Edmonton was the best team in the Battle of Alberta and it is clear that they are playing their best hockey of the season right now.
What are the contributing factors? I ranked the top five reasons the Oilers were able to beat the Flames in my most recent video on The Nation Network’s YouTube channel! Give him a watch:
The goalkeeper was a big difference in this series. Based on the history of the match, I think it was fair to expect the Oilers to be able to reach Jacob Markstrom a couple of times, but I certainly didn’t see them score four or more goals in each game. Mike Smith acted almost exactly as he expected. He had some tough times, but for the most part, he gave the Oilers a chance to win and that’s really all they needed.
Looking ahead to this series against Colorado, the Oilers will probably need Smith to be better. He will face Darcy Kuemper, who was excellent in the regular season but has not been an elite player so far in the playoffs with a savings rate of just .904 in two rounds. Nor did he face many actions against the Blues. He only faced more than 30 shots in three of the six games and never faced more than 31 shots. The Oilers made more than 35 shots in three of their five games against Calgary and even hit the 40-mark mark twice. It will be interesting to see how Kuemper handles a heavier workload.
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Avs special teams will also be a tough test for the Oilers. They currently have the best PP% in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 34.5%. The Oilers will have to stay out of the area against Colorado because their powerplay is more than capable of winning them hockey games. However, his penalty is not great. They are currently at 73.1%, which is the worst of the remaining five teams.
The star power element will also be fascinating. As a hockey fan, I’m very happy that the NHL can finally market a great series in which Connor McDavid faces another elite player. Nathan MacKinnon really started towards the end of the series against the Blues and it will be a lot for the Oilers. I’m also very excited to see Cale Makar face Connor McDavid. If he has any defense in the league that can keep up with McDavid out of the rush, it’s Makar. He is a special talent.
Outside of these big three, there are many other players to watch. I’m sure the Oilers fans will be playing Nazem Kadri within minutes of the first game. Plus, if you didn’t know it yet, you’re about to find out how good Mikko Rantanen is.
The Oilers, however, are obviously more than just a one-man team. Leon Draisaitl comes from a series in which he set multiple playoff records, Zach Hyman scored in every game against Calgary and Evander Kane leads the NHL in playoff goals. This is a legitimate heavyweight match and I am fascinated to see which stars of the team can propel them to victory.
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I also love that every game starts at 6pm, mountain time. Hockey fans from across the continent will be able to see what could be a snapshot classic of a series between the Oilers and the Avalanche.