The hockey world finally gets what we’ve been waiting for: a Battle for Alberta in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Oilers and Flames last played in the playoffs in the 1991 division semifinals. Edmonton won that series in a Game 7. The Oilers and Flames did battle four times in the 1980s so this is a long-overdue matchup.
Advertisement
Calgary is the big favorite in the series (-200), but Edmonton has Connor McDavid and it’ll be a matchup to remember.
In the Metropolitan Division, the Hurricanes and Rangers meet for a spot in the Eastern Conference Final. Carolina is also a big favorite to win that series after the Rangers rallied from a 3-1 series deficit against the Penguins to win the series in overtime in Game 7.
Wednesday’s Stanley Cup Playoffs schedule:
- Game 1: New York Rangers at Carolina Hurricanes — 7 p.m. ET — ESPN, SNE, SNO, SNP
- Game 1: Edmonton Oilers at Calgary Flames— 9:30 p.m. ET — ESPN, CBC, SN
Every day during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, The Athletic’s writers will make their picks, straight up. We put our picks, the TV schedule and all series coverage, plus the latest odds, all in one place for fans to easily digest and follow. Our in-depth NHL coverage is linked below the picks. For live NHL odds from BetMGM, click here.
Rangers at Hurricanes
| Team | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|
+135 | O 5.5 (-120) | |
-160 | U 5.5 (+100) |
Series odds: Hurricanes -200, Rangers +165
Preview by Dom Luszczyszyn and Shayna Goldman
The Metropolitan division is a gauntlet. It took seven games apiece on either side to figure out who would play who, but we have our answer: Carolina and New York. Fitting that it’s the two top seeds, but the margins were razor thin along the way. Both series were expected to be close and they played out exactly to script.
For a while it didn’t look like Carolina would need seven games to dispatch Boston, but it was a true homer series and the Hurricanes were blessed to have home ice. As for the Rangers, it looked extremely unlikely they would be here at all after going down 3-1 in their series against the Penguins. But some injuries on the other side created a path that they were able to capitalize on.
Now comes the matchup to determine who represents the division in the conference finals. This one doesn’t look as close as the other two.
| Writer | Pick |
|---|---|
Jesse Granger | |
Sean McIndoe | |
Shayna Goldman | |
Dom Luszczyszyn | |
Kevin Kurz | |
Sean Gentille |
- 2022 NHL playoff preview: Hurricanes vs. Rangers
- Breaking down Rangers vs. Hurricanes: Storylines, key players, injuries and more
Oilers at Flames
Series odds: Flames -200, Oilers +165
Preview by Dom Luszczyszyn and Shayna Goldman
The Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers gave us a scare for a bit there with their respective series going the distance, but in the end both teams prevailed. The reward: one of the most hyped-up playoff series in a long time. Welcome to the Battle of Alberta.
The rivalry here is very real, these teams do not like each other one bit and that’s going to make this a fiercely contested series. But on top of that is the fact that both teams are also just very good hockey clubs, peaking at the same time just to take each other down. It’s poetic that both the Flames and Oilers brought out their best versions of themselves this season and will have to go through the other to make it to the third round.
But while both teams may be at the peak of their powers, one is a bit higher. The Flames were the better team all season and they enter this series as deserved favorites.
- 2022 NHL playoff preview: Flames vs. Oilers
- LeBrun: We asked NHL execs for their Edmonton-Calgary playoff series predictions
Picks records
| Writer | Record |
|---|---|
Jesse Granger | 35-19 |
Sean McIndoe | 34-20 |
Shayna Goldman | 32-22 |
Dom Luszczyszyn | 31-23 |
Sean Gentille | 28-26 |
Kevin Kurz | 27-27 |
NHL playoff predictions: A scout, coach and executive pick the second-round winners
More Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage: News | Podcasts | Odds
(Photo of Johnny Gaudreau and Leon Draisaitl: Andy Devlin / NHLI via Getty Images))