The Calgary Flames are through the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, avoiding an upset by the stubbornly good Dallas Starts in a series that went the distance. That means more quotable postgame quotes from Daryl Sutter and, of course, a colossal Battle of Alberta showdown in the second round against the Edmonton Oilers.

In many instances in the first round, it looked as though the Flames were going to…Uhm… flame out. They won Game 1 of the Dallas series then lost the next two, with their usually high-scoring offense struggling to find answers against postseason breakout star Jake Oettinger, who Sutter called the hands-down top player of that series.

The second round will bring a tough challenge for the Flames, an even bigger one since the Oilers have arguably the best hockey player on the planet. These Oilers are loaded with firepower, as they feature a couple of 100-point scorers in the regular season and a redemption-seeking Evander Kane, who’s been a fantastic and effective addition to Edmonton. 

Calgary is definitely a team not lacking in speedy skaters who are huge attacking threats. It’s going to be a thrilling series up ahead, one that promises to conclude in a memorable fashion. Everyone is hyped up for this series, and how can we not be? The last time the Flames and the Oilers saw each other in the playoffs was over 30 years ago, which was during the 1991 Stanley Cup Playoffs. With that said, here are three bold predictions for Calgary in this Flames vs. Oilers second-round series in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

3 bold Flames predictions vs. Oilers in 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs

3. Flames outshoot Edmonton by at least 10 shots in every game

One thing about Calgary is that it’s so good at dominating possessions. During the regular season, the Flames were third overall in the NHL in terms of 5-on-5 55.7 CF%. And their ability to get the puck under their control was especially noticeable when they were in games against Edmonton. In fact, Calgary owns the best regular-season 5-on-5 CF% in the regular season against the Oilers, coming up with a 57.38 CF% in four games, during which the Flames went 2-2 straight up.

In their Game 7 victory against the Stars, the Flames showered Dallas with an incredible total of 67 shots against just 28 from the Stars; Calgary also ruled the total number of 5pn-5 shots (any type) department to the tune of 119-55. The Flames struggle a bit in converting high-danger shots into goals, but volume is king and the Oilers’ defense didn’t seem to have exposed that weakness on the part of Calgary, which was fourth among all teams in the regular season in Oilers games with a 57.75 CF% and No. 1 in HDGF (9).

2. Matthew Tkachuk records at least two multiple-goal games

Tkachuk’s underwhelming overall performance in the first round was among the reasons why the Flames needed to go through a nerve-wracking Game 7 to finish off the pesky Stars. The 24-year-old winger laid donuts in terms of goals scored in the first six games of the series. While he was able to contribute four assists during that span, his goal-scoring was severely missed by the Flames. After all, he was tied with Elias Lindholm in the regular season for the most goals for the Flames in the regular season with each skater finding the back of the net 42 times.

But in Game 7 of the Stars series, Tkachuk woke up and scored his first goal of the 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, which was also the one that forced the game to go to overtime. It’s about time for Tkachuk to break out in the postseason, and it could come in this series against the Oilers, who are so far coaxing surprisingly great performances from their 40-year-old goalie Mike Smith.

Then again, Smith is 40 and fatigue is a bigger threat to him than to the much younger Jacob Markstrom. With the way the Flames have been winning the puck possession all season long, it’s only a matter of time before Tkachuk blows up. And what timing it would be if he does that in this humongous second-round matchup.

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1. Flames sweep Edmonton

If we are in a perfect world, this Flames vs. Oilers series will last seven games and five overtimes in Game 7. But Calgary is simply just the better team even though it’s the Oilers who have the best player. After getting a major scare in the first round, Calgary shows why it is considered a top-tier Stanley Cup contender. The Oilers are fast and the NHL playoffs never fails to churn out crazy results in favor of the underdogs, but this time, the Flames block all that and downright dominates the Oilers from Games 1 to 4.