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The Battle of Alberta has been as good as advertised in this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, although Calgary Flames fans might disagree. After dropping Game 1 to the Flames, the Edmonton Oilers have won three straight to pull ahead in the series with puck drop for Game 5 on tap for 9:30pm ET. Your first bet with BetMGM is […]
The Battle of Alberta has been as good as advertised in this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, although Calgary Flames fans might disagree. After dropping Game 1 to the Flames, the Edmonton Oilers have won three straight to pull ahead in the series with puck drop for Game 5 on tap for 9:30pm ET.
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Best Bet: Edmonton Oilers @ Calgary Flames OVER 6.5 (-120), per BetMGM
Game 1 set the tone for this series with a total of 15 goals as the Flames secured a thrilling 9-6 victory. At times, these two teams look like they are playing pond hockey by constantly racing up and down the ice.
Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Evander Kane have been lighting the lamp all series long. McDavid leads the postseason scoring race with 25 points in 11 games. Draisaitl follows closely behind McDavid with 22 points of his own. Kane is coming off a hat trick in Game 4’s win and is now up to 12 goals in the playoffs.
The Flames are averaging four goals per game in the series as well. But after netting nine pucks in Game 1, Calgary’s offense has looked out of sorts at times.
The Flames’ top line, featuring three 40-goal scorers in the regular season – Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm, and Matthew Tkachuk — will look to provide an answer to the Oilers’ explosive trio.
Goaltending has been an issue for both teams throughout the four games.
Oilers goalie Mike Smith has been the better net-minder, but his play has been shaky at best. Smith was pulled in the first period of Game 1, but has since returned to form during the Oilers’ win streak.
Although his play has picked up, the hockey world was in awe after Flames D Rasmus Andersson tied the game at 3-3 with a slap shot from his own defensive zone while on the penalty kill in Game 4.
That is the type of goal that will follow Smith for the remainder of his NHL career.
Flames G Jacob Markstrom has not looked sharp in this series, either. The first-time Vezina nominee has been hung out to dry by his defenders on multiple occasions, but the Oilers have made him look silly when the offense is humming like it has been.
The Flames have no answer for the Oilers’ first line and with Smith in net, the Oilers are vulnerable to the Flames' attack.
Calgary should be rocking tonight which could yield an early lead. If the Flames strike first that would only motivate Edmonton to speed the game up, creating more opportunities at both ends of the ice.
Featured image via Perry Nelson – USA TODAY Sports
