For the Calgary Flames to continue stoking the Battle of Alberta in the NHL playoffs, they need to take their game from good to great.
Down 3-1 to the Edmonton Oilers in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal, Calgary faces elimination Thursday at the Saddledome where the Flames went 25-9-7 during the regular season.
Calgary avoided elimination in the post-season鈥檚 first round with a Game 7 overtime win over the Dallas Stars.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to need the same desperation we had in that Game 7 against Dallas,鈥� Flames forward Milan Lucic said Wednesday at the Saddledome.
鈥淲hat I said before that game is you need big plays from big-time players, so that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e going to need tomorrow.鈥�
The Flames played their best game of the conference semifinal in Tuesday鈥檚 5-3 loss in Game 4 at Rogers Place. Calgary battled back from a three-goal deficit after one period to tie it in the second.
Holding Oilers captain Connor McDavid to two assists was Calgary鈥檚 most effective containment of the NHL鈥檚 leading scorer in the series.
"In order to win three games you got to win one game. You have to start off by winning one game."
鈥� y - Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) May 25, 2022
Milan Lucic on the mindset heading into Game 5 tomorrow night. pic.twitter.com/fFTtjnRUb1
鈥淚t was our best game, but it still wasn鈥檛 good enough,鈥� Lucic said. 鈥淲hether it鈥檚 doing two things better or give 10 per cent more, or whatever you鈥檝e got to do, it鈥檚 what we鈥檝e got to do.鈥�
The veteran of 135 NHL playoff games took the 鈥渂acks against the wall鈥� clich茅 the distance adding 鈥渋n the corner, up against the ropes.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檝e been a good home team all year long,鈥� Lucic said. 鈥淲e rely on our fans coming and cheering us on and having our back and going from there.
鈥淚t鈥檚 up to us to see what we鈥檙e made of and go out there and play our game for 60-plus minutes, if that鈥檚 what it takes to give ourselves a chance to stay alive.鈥�
To have a chance at advancing to the third round for the first time in 18 years, the Flames must continue to limit McDavid - as much as that鈥檚 possible - while cleaning up defensive breakdowns in their own end.
Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom and 40-year-old counterpart Mike Smith have been both brilliant and faulty in this series with show-stopping saves and soft goals.
Markstrom misplaying a puck behind the net for an Edmonton goal seconds after puck drop and Smith getting beat by a cleared puck from 132 feet away for the Flames to tie it in Game 4 adds to the suspense of which goalie will be sharper Thursday.
Calgary鈥檚 playoff fortunes rely heavily on Markstrom, but Flames head coach Darryl Sutter insists McDavid and Markstrom aren鈥檛 the ultimate authorities on the series鈥� outcome.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 all anyone else had talked about. They鈥檝e either talked about Jacob Markstrom or Connor McDavid. That鈥檚 all they鈥檝e talked about,鈥� Sutter said. 鈥淚n the end, that鈥檚 not what the difference in games is.
鈥淲e鈥檒l have to improve some things.鈥�
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Over half of Calgary鈥檚 73 shots either missed the net or were blocked Tuesday. Sutter is fine with the shot output, but says creating and finishing a few more quality chances is in order.
Since Calgary鈥檚 9-6 win in a wild Game 1, the Flames have been outscored 14-7. They鈥檝e mustered two power-play goals on a dozen chances over the last three games.
Sutter pointed out earlier in the series that Edmonton鈥檚 blue-line 鈥� led by Duncan Keith, Cody Ceci and Tyson Barrie 鈥� boasts more playoff seasoning than the Flames.
鈥淭he big difference in the two defences is the Oilers have twice as much experience on the back end as us in terms of playoffs,鈥� Sutter said last week ahead of Game 2.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like 350 to 170 (games) or something like that, so it鈥檚 a big difference. We鈥檙e getting experience as we go, whereas they鈥檝e got it鈥�.
Without top shutdown defenceman Chris Tanev for the first three games of the series, the Flames were disjointed in their own end.
Tanev鈥檚 return Tuesday, albeit labouring with what appears to be a right shoulder injury, was a stabilizing influence.
鈥淓ven-strength minutes, he was very effective,鈥� Sutter said. 鈥淓dmonton鈥檚 defence is an experienced defence. When we鈥檙e playing four younger defencemen, those guys need a little bit of a security blanket and Chris Tanev is that for sure.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just on the ice. That鈥檚 in the locker room.鈥�
Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press
