A bit nervous for this one, but also very excited. Taking off my E=NG glasses, because ultimately the Flames can't afford to take the Oilers lightly.
Like it or not, McDavid is going to go into cheat mode at some point and have a stretch of dominance. 2 PPG is pretty insane in the playoffs, even if it was against a weaker LA team. Can't say he's a playoff choker anymore, as he's taken his game to the next level. Smith will be motivated against his old team, but hopefully it will also be his undoing as well. And I have a feeling that either Kane or Kassian is going to do something extremely borderline stupid/dangerous that might throw the Flames off their game.
Flames do have the superiour depth, goaltending, D and G, so on paper it should be a Flames win. But this series will be the equivalent of the Oilers cup final for their fanbase, so Flames will have to weather the storm and especially on the PP.
Thankfully there is no Oettenger on the other end, but Dallas didn't have a McDrai combination either, so that's the tradeoff.
Hope both fan bases can keep it on the ice, because I feel that the dirty redneck of this province is going to get exposed for the hockey world to see at some point. Hope both fanbases don't shame us too much.
Game 1 can swing either way, but it will be absolutely MASSIVE is the Flames can pull this win off. Either way, at least it will be 10x more exciting than whatever garbage Dallas was playing.
|