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The Edmonton Oilers can end the Battle of Alberta on Thursday night.
Connor McDavid and Co. have reeled off three straight wins over the Calgary Flames to move one win away from the next round of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Edmonton’s offense put up 20 goals over four games, and it has been far more difficult to stop than the Calgary unit that produced nine of its 16 tallies in Game 1.
Calgary needs to find answers to deal with McDavid, Evander Kane, Zach Hyman and Leon Draisaitl. The quartet is responsible for 14 of Edmonton’s goals in the series.
The Flames could use more production out of its top stars to counter Edmonton’s in-form attack as well. Matthew Tkachuk leads the team with three goals in the series, but all of them came in Game 1.
Before the Canadian rivals steal the spotlight, the Carolina Hurricanes will try to defend home ice against the New York Rangers.
Carolina has not lost inside the PNC Arena in the first two rounds of the playoffs, and it needs another win to snatch back the momentum in the series.
Thursday NHL Playoff Schedule
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Game 5: New York Rangers (+140; bet $100 to win $140) at Carolina (-160; bet $160 to win $100) (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Game 5: Edmonton (+140) at Calgary (-160) (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Edmonton in Good Position to Win 4th Straight Game
Edmonton won its three games over Calgary by multiple goals and hasn’t allowed more than three tallies in that stretch.
The defensive performances were a stark contrast from the nine goals conceded in Game 1 inside the Saddledome.
Edmonton’s defense has not received as many headlines as its offense, but it deserves recognition for getting it to a spot to clinch the series in Game 5.
Goalie Mike Smith should be credited with some of the defensive success. He owns a .913 save percentage in the series.
The 40-year-old’s most notable action came on a poor concession of a 124-foot goal in Game 4, but his team made sure the mistake would not kill its chances of sweeping the home games in Edmonton.
The Oilers have been more efficient with their shots in the series, as they have 20 goals on 135 shots. Calgary scored 16 times on 153 attempts.
Edmonton just has to play the same style of game it has since the start of Game 2 to become the first team locked into the Western Conference Final.
McDavid and Co. have an extra bit of motivation to clinch on Thursday since the Colorado Avalanche were pushed to a sixth game by the St. Louis Blues.
Expect Edmonton’s most productive quartet to be in the middle of most of the significant scoring chances. McDavid, Draisaitl, Kane and Hyman have 14 goals on 59 shots and 21 assists between them.
If Calgary can’t stop that foursome, the Flames could end the Battle of Alberta with a single win from Game 1 to their name.
Carolina Trying to Remain Perfect on Home Ice
Predicting Carolina’s playoff results has become a simple science: It is undefeated on home ice and it hasn’t won on the road.
That pattern suggests the Hurricanes are about to take a 3-2 lead over the New York Rangers in Game 5 and then close out the series in Game 7.
Carolina conceded a single goal in its first two home contests of the Eastern Conference second-round series.
The winning team in each of the four games allowed either one or zero goals. Carolina scored twice at Madison Square Garden in Games 3 and 4.
An extended series would not favor either the Hurricanes or Rangers since the Tampa Bay Lightning are gaining rest after their sweep of the Florida Panthers.
Carolina would love to back up home ice on Thursday and then close out the series in New York on Saturday, but it has to focus on one game at a time.
The Hurricanes need to continue to be more active in front of goal. They hold a 123-110 lead in shots over four games, which has led to Igor Shesterkin putting up better numbers than Antti Raanta in net.
Shesterkin could bank off the momentum gained from Games 3 and 4 and lead the Rangers to a Game 5 victory, but competing on the road has been tough for the Rangers.
New York lost its first two road games to the Pittsburgh Penguins by a combined eight goals. The Rangers won Game 6 in Pittsburgh, but they still gave up three goals.
If Carolina’s home defense remains strong, it may need just one or two goals to beat Shesterkin and regain the series lead.
The Carolina-New York result will not resemble the Edmonton-Calgary final score no matter who comes out on top.
Thursday’s opening game will serve as a low-scoring appetizer to a rivalry showdown that has had plenty of goals over four contests.
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