For the first time since 2006, the Edmonton Oilers are going to play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs Western Conference Finals, with Connor McDavid and company clinching a berth in the third round of the postseason with a stunning upset series win over the Calgary Flames in the conference semifinals stage.

The Oilers lost Game 1 of that series but went streaking right after, blowing out Calgary with their incendiary offense in four straight wins. Eliminating the Flames in just five games was all everyone needed to know why Edmonton needs to be taken seriously by the Avalanche. The Avs know the seemingly limitless potential of these rampaging Oilers, but the way Edmonton dismantled the Flames was another clear reminder of why McDavid's group can never be underestimated.

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

3. Evander Kane leads all players in goals

Kane's redemption arc is among the most intriguing narratives not only of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs but of the entire 2021-22 NHL season. There were understandably many eyebrows that got raised by the Oilers' acquisition of the controversial forward for a number of reasons. Kane's off-the-ice issues have been fodder for tabloid material for the most part of the season, but that did not stop Edmonton from signing him to a 1-year  worth a million bucks.

So far, Kane has been golden for the Oilers, who have the left-winger on the top line together with McDavid and Draisaitl. He has definitely benefited from being on the ice often alongside two 100-point players in the regular season, but McDavid and Draisaitl can't also deny that having Kane alongside them makes it harder for opposing defenses to commit to them. Despite playing in just 43 games with the Oilers back in the regular season, Kane has managed to score 22 goals and record 17 assists.

In the playoffs, Kane is even leading the Oilers with 12 goals, thanks in large part to a hat trick each in two separate rounds.  He has five multi-goal games since the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs kicked off. The Avalanche will undoubtedly put targets on the back of McDavid and Draisaitl, but then again, how much space are they going to let Kane operate?

2.  Oilers win every game where they get outshot

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One of the key underlying reasons why the Flames were favored to win in the second-round series against Edmonton was their advantage in controlling the puck. And that surely got highlighted by Calgary in that matchup, except that it did not matter at all in the end, with the Oilers finding a way to upset Johnny Gaudreau and company.

The Flames posted a 5-on-5 55.68 CF% in that series to just 42.51 CF% of the Oilers; the Flames had a 5-on-5 53.2 xGF% to only 46.8 xGF% of their opponents. In five games in that series, the Oilers outshot Calgary just once.  It went down to the incredible abilities of Draisaitl and McDavid to create prime scoring chances for the team and the Oilers managing to convert on those opportunities at a much, much higher rate than Calgary. That's not a good sign for Avalanche, who will now have the tall order of containing the dizzyingly fast and talented Oilers group. Colorado

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1. Oilers take down Colorado in five games

Calgary is no joke. This is a team that finished the regular season with the most points among Western Conference teams, blasted the Nashville Predators in merciless fashion in the first round, and edged out the gritty St. Louis Blues in the second round. Not a lot of people are going to be willing to bet that the Oilers will win this series, let alone finish it all up in five games. But then again, the Oilers manhandled Calgary, whose starting goalie, Jacob Markstrom, had a better regular season than Avs netminder Darcy Kuemper. The Oilers lost Game 1 in the Calgary series despite scoring six goals, but looking back, it appears that that contest was where they broke Markstrom, who was not the same since.

After that game, the Oilers outscored the Flames, 19-11, the rest of the way. It feels like the Oilers have found another gear in the second round, and that same gear might just get unleashed anew by McDavid and the rest of the team in this Western Conference finals series versus the Avalanche.