The “Battle of Alberta” in the Stanley Cup playoffs continues on Thursday night as the Edmonton Oilers visit the Calgary Flames. The Oilers lead the series 3-1, but the Flames are favored on the NHL odds to force a Game 6.

How to Bet Oilers at Flames NHL Hockey Odds & TV Info

• When: Thursday, 9:30 PM ET
• Where: Scotiabank Saddledome
• TV: ESPN
• Stream: ESPN app
• Radio: Tunein.com
• Opening NHL Lines: Flames -145, Oilers +135 (total 6.5)

Why Bet on Edmonton?

Edmonton took a 3-1 series lead with Tuesday’s 5-3 home win. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored a pair of goals; he has four goals and 10 points in 11 contests in the 2022 playoffs. Nugent-Hopkins was one of four Oilers players to record multiple points Tuesday, with the others being Leon Draisaitl (three assists), Evander Kane (two goals) and Connor McDavid (two assists).

Draisaitl, who set an NHL record for most assists in a playoff period Sunday, became the first player in league history with three or more points in four consecutive postseason games. Draisaitl recorded his fourth straight playoff game with multiple assists – the second-longest run in franchise history. The only Oilers player with a longer streak is Wayne Gretzky (5 GP in 1983).

Kane leads the league with 12 goals this postseason. He became the first NHL player with 12 or more goals through 11 games in a playoff year since 2008, when Johan Franzen did it en route to winning the Stanley Cup with Detroit. Oilers general manager Ken Holland, who acquired Kane on Jan. 27, won his fourth and final championship with the Red Wings that year. Only one Oilers player in the past 30 years recorded as many goals in a postseason: Fernando Pisani (14 in 2006).

McDavid became the first player to reach the 25-point mark in the 2022 playoffs. He also became the fourth player in NHL history to record multiple points in seven consecutive games during a postseason, joining Gretzky (8 GP in 1983), Tony Currie (7 GP in 1981) and Darryl Sittler (7 GP in 1977).

Zach Hyman became the fourth Oilers player in the past 30 years to record a goal streak of four-plus games in the playoffs. He joined McDavid (5 GP in 2022), Michael Peca (4 GP in 2006) and Shawn Horcoff (4 GP in 2006).

Mike Smith allowed three goals on 32 shots in the win. The Oilers had a 3-0 lead after one period, but the Flames clawed back to tie the game, with Smith letting in a bad goal from a 132-foot Rasmus Andersson shot. Nugent-Hopkins and Kane then each scored their second goals of the contest to restore the lead and secure the win. It’s the first time Smith has won three games in a row in these playoffs.  He has a 6-3 record, 2.55 GAA, and .933 save percentage in 10 playoff starts this year.

Why Bet on Calgary?

Elias Lindholm and Mikael Backlund scored 36 seconds apart to cut Calgary’s deficit to 3-2 on Tuesday. The Flames franchise has three three-goal comeback wins in the Stanley Cup Playoffs: Game 6 of the 2015 First Round, Game 3 of the 2008 Conference Quarterfinals and Game 2 of the 1984 Division Finals.

Rasmus Andersson scored a strange shorthanded goal Tuesday. Andersson was just trying to clear the puck out of his zone, but Oilers goaltender Mike Smith lost sight of the puck and it went into the net. That was a potential game changer as it tied the game at 3-3 in the third period, but ultimately the Flames still lost the contest. They now trail 3-1 in the second round series.

“We believe in our group. Every single person in our locker-room believes,” said Andersson after the game. “There’s no reason why we can’t win three in a row, but it all starts with the next game. We have to win that one and we have to take care of home ice. It starts with one, and we take it from there.”

Jacob Markstrom stopped 21 of 25 shots in the loss. He’s allowed at least four goals in each of the first four contests of his second round series. The Flames got a massive boost with the return of their top shutdown defender, Chris Tanev, who missed the past four games with an undisclosed injury. Tanev picked up an assist and one blocked shot in 19:24 of ice time.

“I thought we showed a lot of resolve,” said Coach Darryl Sutter. “They score that empty net goal in the first minute of the game and, quite honest, I thought we had a really good first period and that’s what I told them after the first: ‘It’s a winnable game for us.’ “

If Calgary wins, the NHL has announced that the start time of the potential Game 6 is set for 9:30 p.m. ET on Saturday in Edmonton. The game would be televised on Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports in Canada and on ESPN in the U.S.

Expert Prediction

• Flames 4, Oilers 3

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