The Battle of Alberta has all the makings of a classic

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This is exactly what Gary Bettman wanted. While the NHL divisional playoff format is frequently criticized, it is ultimately designed to produce rival series. This standard was met and the format was successful in 2022.

The East will see the Lightning and Panthers drop the puck in an intrastate playoff matchup. This is the second consecutive season.

Our focus now shifts to the West, where the Oilers and Flames will meet in post-season for first time since 1991. The winner gets a berth in the conference final against either the Blues or Avalanche and is one step closer to being the first Canadian team ever to win the Stanley Cup.

Tomorrow’s Battle of Alberta starts with Game 1 at 9:30 pm. ET. Each game will be accessible on CBC TV, CBCSports.ca, and the CBC Sports App. The tape’s story is here:

Head-to-head

Each team won a pair with regulation wins. The Flames scored 17 goals more than the Oilers. Calgary won the most recent meeting 9-5 in a game where Oilers goalie Mike Smith even picked up a roughing penalty against — you guessed it — Matthew Tkachuk. We’ll take seven more, please.

WATCH: Memorable moments from Battle of Alberta| Memorable moments from the Battle of Alberta:

Offence

It’s hard to match the offensive firepower of this series. There are four 100-point scorers in Edmonton: Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau, and Tkachuk. Individually, those players delivered in the first round — especially McDavid, whose 14 points lead the playoffs. Evander Kane, who arrived in Edmonton mid-season and has seven goals, is the best remaining player.

In reality, scoring may not be in a rush. Draisaitl was reportedly injured in Game 7 against Los Angeles. However, Jay Woodcroft, Oilers head coach, said that he did not skate today because of the injury. saidHe is available for Game 1. In contrast, the Flames scored just 15 goals against Dallas in their first round series. That’s partly due to the stellar play of Stars goalie Jake Oettinger, but the low total may also reflect Calgary head coach Darryl Sutter, whose signature tight-checking, low-event playoff style has helped him win more Game 7s than any coach in history.

Defence

Although the Flames don’t have a typical No. Although they don’t have the typical No. 1 defenseman that you see on Stanley Cup champions like the Flames, their commitment to structure allowed them to allow only the third-fewest goals in the regular season. Much of their defensive help comes up front, and accordingly, centre Elias Lindholm was named one of three finalists for the Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward today. Chris Tanev, a reliable D-man, was injured in Game 7, but he has been active on the ice during the first round.

The Oilers, on the other hand allowed more regular-season goals than any other playoff team. Edmonton held the Kings to just two goals or less in four of its wins, which included a pair shutouts. However, it allowed a pedestrian Los Angeles offensive to score 13 goals in each of its three losses. The series’ biggest swing factor could be the Oilers defensive play.

Goalies

Jacob Markstrom, a Calgary Vezina candidate, posted a remarkable.922 save percentage during the regular season. He then increased it to.943 against the Stars in seven games. He is a solid bet in the crease.

Mike Smith, Edmonton’s ice hockey coach, is still a question mark. Although his playoffs save percentage of.938 is fourth in the league, he was close to the average in only 27 starts in an injury-prone season. It’s reasonable to wonder how Smith will fare in a playoff run at 40.

Pest control

If things weren’t feisty, it wouldn’t be Battle of Alberta. Tkachuk will be the centre of this, you know. Some controversy — possibly opposing Edmonton’s Zack Kassian, with whom there’s an ongoing feud dating back to 2019, when Tkachuk turtled after Kassian dropped his gloves for a fight.

Tkachuk & Kassian are the other main characters. Kane is already making waves. showboating at the end of the Kings series, and former Oiler tough guy Milan Lucic lingers on the Flames’ bench.

Expert picks

Multiple sportsbooks have listed the Flames as -190 favourites for winning the series. This means that there is a 65 percent chance that Calgary will advance. However, this seems to be a bit high for an NHL playoffs series between teams that are relatively even and rivals that are hated.

Let’s check with Wayne Gretzky. He may be a little biased, but his hockey expertise is certainly undeniable. In his first season as a studio television analyst for TNT, The Great One correctly picked all eight winners in the first round. Who is he to thank for his survival at the Battle of Alberta That would be it! the Flames.