Two days after playing poorly in a 4-1 loss, the Calgary Flames (5-5; 1st place, Pacific Division) are looking to recover in Game 4 of their second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers ( 6-4; 2n). place, Pacific Division). The Flames were on their heels for much of the first half of Game 3, and didn’t really get started until they fell 4-0 in the game. Can the Flames recover and play, to be blunt, closer to how they looked during the regular season?
The festivities begin at 7:30 p.m. You can watch the game on CBC and Sportnet’s national channel in Canada (with Chris Cuthbert and Craig Simpson), ESPN2 in the United States (with Bob Wischusen and Brian Boucher) and on the airwaves on Sportsnet 960 The Fan (with Derek Wills and Pere Loubardias )!
For a look from the other side, check out OilersNation!
Announcement – Continue reading below
The Flames
Lines projected by daily confrontation:
Johnny Gaudreau – Elias Lindholm – Matthew TkachukAndrew Mangiapane – Mikael Backlund – Blake ColemanDillon Dube – Jarnkrok Street – Tyler ToffoliMilan Lucic – Trevor Lewis – rotation
Noah Hanifin – Rasmus Andersson Oliver Kylington – Chris TanevNikita Zadorov – Erik GudbransonMichael Stone
Jacob Markstrom [5-5, 2.65 GAA, .912 SV%] starts on the net, backed by Daniel Vladar. The scratches are expected to be goalkeeper Adam Werner, blues Connor Mackey and Juuso Valimaki, and forwards Ryan Carpenter and Adam Ruzicka.
Announcement – Continue reading below
Update: Tanev is inside. Stone stays inside, with Brett Ritchie colliding on the sidelines as the Flames go with 11 forwards and 7 defenders.
The Flames scored nine goals in Game 1, but combined for just four goals in Games 2 and 3. They allowed nine goals in Games 2 and 3. That means they have to be better defensively and more opportunistic offensively. If you look back at the many goals that have been given up in this series, surely many have been Connor McDavid being a damn hockey wizard. But a lot of that has been helped because the Flames made key mistakes at key moments.
In short, the Flames just have to stick to the process, stick to their systems and structure, and try not to give McDavid and his friends too many opportunities in a hurry. By 2-1 in this series, it’s time for the real Flames, who played with rhythm, structure and intelligence, to make their presence known in the series.
The Oilers
Lines projected by daily confrontation:
Evander Kane – Connor McDavid – Leon DraisaitlZach Hyman – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Jesse PuljujarviWarren Foegele – Ryan McLeod – Kailer YamamotoJosh Archibald – Derek Ryan – @Zach Kassian
Darnell Nurse – Cody CeciDuncan Keith – Evan BouchardBrett Kulak – Tyson Barrie
Announcement – Continue reading below
Mike Smith [6-3, 2.55 GAA, .933 SV%] starts for the Oilers, with the support of Mikko Koskinen. The projected extras are Kris Russell, Devin Shore, Derick Brassard, along with many, many black aces. The Oilers have won two games in a row, so don’t expect any lineup changes given this recent success.
From the Oilers ’perspective, it’s hard to imagine that they won’t be happy with their series so far. They fell in game 1, but managed to bounce back before losing 9-6. They fought in the second game and won 5-3. They were the best team in Game 3, winning 4-1. Of course, most of his offense has come from McDavid, Evander Kane and Leon Draisaitl, but they have also had some good performances from Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
The numbers
Calgary Edmonton Wins 5 6 Corsi Adjusted for 60.0% 50.6% Expected Goals for 59.5% 53.1% Power Play 11.1% 23.5% Penalty Kills 92.3% 86.1%
Not suitable for playing
The Flames are without Sean Monahan and Chris Tanev.
The Oilers don’t have Oscar Klefbom.
The last time we met
These teams split their four regular season meetings equally, with the home team winning each time, while the Oilers have won two of their three playoff meetings so far.
Meet your enemy
Your recommended Twitter is following for tonight’s contest:
Announcement – Continue reading below
THIS ITEM HAS WINE & BEYOND, LIQUOR DEPOT AND ACE LIQUOR
The 24 packs of Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light and Molson Canadian Beer cans will be on sale for $ 35.99 plus tax and deposit on Edmonton vs Calgary game days during this playoff round!