Flames Are Favored In Series
The Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames begin their Western Conference semifinal series Wednesday night. It’s the first Battle of Alberta in just about three decades. Puck drop is set for 9:30 PM ET.
The Oilers descend upon the Saddledome as +140 underdogs, according to BetUS Sportsbook, Conversely, the Flames are priced as firm home favorites at -160, while the goal total is projected to 6 (‘over’ at -120).
Join us as we preview this rivalry, along with the both the Stanley Cup odds for Game 1 and the series, before offering a final verdict.
Check the latest NHL lines, stats, injury reports, and NHL odds for Oilers vs Flames. There are plenty of NHL picks and predictions.
Oilers Taken The Distance By Kings
The Edmonton Oilers were forced to go the distance by the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference quarterfinal round, though they opened as the heavy favorites.
The Oilers seemed to be on the back foot all too often, eventually needing to dig themselves out of a 3-2 series deficit to advance.
Connor McDavid elevated his play in the final two games, the captain just about single-handedly dragging the Oilers on his back. McDavid had a goal and two assists in Game 6, adding a goal and an assist in Game 7.
The two-time MVP leads the league with 14 playoff points (four goals and 10 assists), while Leon Draisaitl had five goals and four assists through those seven games. Goaltender Mike Smith did finish fifth (after one round) with a 2.29 goals-against average.
Flames Ended Game 7 in OT
The Calgary Flames went into the first round as the overwhelming favorites to advance, but the Dallas Stars refused to roll over.
Just like the Oilers, the Flames were pushed to the brink in their Western Conference quarterfinal, though the Flames took an even more dramatic path, In the series decider, they came from behind to win in overtime. They finally solved Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger, who stopped an insane 64-of 67-shots.
Goaltender Jacob Markstrom was arguably his team’s difference-maker. He stopped 26-of-28 shots in the 3-2 victory. Markstrom finished top of the league after the first round with a 1.53 goal-against average.
Calgary struggled offensively, resulting in one of the lowest-scoring first-round series. The Flames’ top line of Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, and Elias Lindholm were held to a lowly 0.90 points per game after averaging 1.22 points during the regular season. That said, the trio came through in Game 7, with two of the three goals (including the winner by Gaudreau) and five assists.
We’re having a Battle of Alberta in the second round 👀 pic.twitter.com/Hh7WPxFzaV
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 16, 2022
Oilers vs Flames Head-to-Head
The Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames are level (5-5-0) in their recent meetings, while the total has gone 5-5-0 during this same 10-game span. The 2021-22 regular season series also split, each side winning twice at home.
The Flames won the last meeting by an eye-popping 9-5 score this past March 26th at the Saddledome, a second-straight victory after beating the Oilers, 3-1, in Calgary March 7th. Edmonton’s last win was a 5-3 home win January 22nd, 2022.
Oilers vs Flames Game Information
- Game: Oilers (49-27-6) vs Flames (50-21-11)
- Location: ScotiaBank Saddledome, Calgary, AB
- Day/Time: Wednesday, May 18th, 2022, 9:30 p.m. ET
- Oilers vs Flames Live Stream: NHL.TV
Oilers vs Flames Betting Lines
Oilers vs Flames Prediction
What was a regular occurrence in the 1980’s has not been seen since 1991, this Battle of Alberta. The NHL series price has the Calgary Flames as the -200 favorites to win, while the Edmonton Oilers are the +170 underdogs.
These prices aren’t set in stone, sure to fluctuate with the ebb and flow of this series and the flow of consensus betting online trends. If this series matches the hype, it may well go the distance.
As far as Game 1, both sides will be chomping at the bit to get this heated rivalry going at the Saddledome. The Flames have home-ice advantage. That will be a factor in this game, as evidenced by their regular season series. The Flames also have one of the best goalies in the league.
Calgary was the 14-goal (9-5) winner when the teams last met in the regular season, and it’s hard not to get swayed by that final performance.
The Stars provided the blueprint against the Flames, but it remains to be seen whether the Oilers take a page from it, or whether they’ll even need it. The Oilers’ offense is formidable when it is on, and it can flip the script at any given moment. The Oilers did average of 3.86 goals in the first round against LA. Calgary struggled with just 2.14 goals scored per game.
