HOCKEY: In the Box with Brent Oliver
Flame On
Round 2 after the Oilers (narrowly) dispose of the Kings in 7 and it’s off to Calgary for the Battle of Alberta. How will the Oilers fare against a very tough Calgary team and the first Battle of Alberta in 31 years? Let’s find out in this week’s edition of In the Box, brought to you by Home & Away YEG – right across from Rogers Place.
Fits for a King
We made it to the second round! Cough… cough… barely.
The Oilers beat a team they should have beat after going down 3-2 in the series, and squeaking out a couple victories in game 6 and 7. But hey, let’s give credit where credit is due. Mike Smith, besides a game one gaffe, was tremendous. Draisaitl, clearly hurt, was picked up by contributions from Kane, Yamamoto and more. And finally, what can you say about Captain Connor? The dude willed Game 7 to victory stating off with a clean check on his first shift and a 3rd period where he told the rest of the hockey world “fuck off I’m Connor McFucking David the best player in the world”. Take that Auston.
The Kings played a series way above their heads with a stellar performance from “not as old as Mike Smith but still pretty old” Jonathan Quick, and strong leadership from Kopitar and the retiring Dustin Brown. The kids are alright, and with a couple additions, may be a pretty good team for a few years. But, fuck them. Fuck LA. Bring on the Flames.
Row Row Row Your Boa
So, here we are. Battle of Alberta. This province is gonna ignore everything (especially Covid) for the next two weeks as our two professional hockey teams beat the hell out of each other almost as much as the fans might. But how is this series going to go? Well, that depends.
I will first begrudgingly say this – The Calgary Flames are a very good team. Very well coached, excellent top two lines, balanced supporting cast, excellent goalie and have somehow found a spot for Milan Lucic who should be in a hockey dumpster somewhere. That being said, we have better players than the Calgary Flames. McDavid is better. Leon is better. Mike Smith (for the last 2 months) is better. Darnell Nurse is better. But, what’s that old adage? Good teams tend to beat teams with good players.
That all being said, I think the Oilers can win this series. It is absolutely no cakewalk, and likely to go 7 games with the entire province on the edge of their seats and not caring about live music or events or other things I’m involved in for my day jobs. Although, for the first time since 1991, maybe that’s not the worst thing for 14-ish days.
The Connor McDavid Player of the Week Award
We may as well call the award after him, no? Connor McDavid with the game of his life on Saturday wins his namesake again this week.
Predicsh (Stanley Cup Edition)
Let’s see how we Predicshed from last time. Brought to you by the hundreds of gambling sites that advertise on TV.
Predicsh pre-playoffs – Oilers beat Kings – 4-1
I was off, but a series win is a series win.
Predicsh pre-playoffs – Leafs lose to the Lightning
I was right, because of course the Leafs blew it. The Bolts are two time Stanley Cup champs, so no hanging your head… except for the fact that you’re the Maple Leafs.
Predicsh pre-playoffs – Avs, St. Louis, Carolina and Florida advance
I’m fuckin Nostradamus over here!
Back to the present predicsh: Oilers beat Calgary – 4-3
I’m sticking with it, because like that dude who smoked meth on that TV show and now peddles in game betting – I’m all in.
Last column I said – “A seven game, Battle of Alberta series that should ignite the province and have everyone ignore anything else that’s happening in their lives in mid-May. The Oilers pull it off with a last minute Hyman goal against Jakob Markstrom at the Saddledome.”
That still sounds pretty dope to me.
Here we go – the Battle of Alberta fires up again tonight in Calgary then every two days for two weeks (hopefully). Can the Oilers beat their southern rivals? Will Calgary be the last ones laughing? How many ridiculous bets has Brent made with his friends in Calgary? (too many. Trust me)
Thoughts and ridicules can always be lodged on Facebook and Twitter @inthebox
See you next week – In The (playoffs) Box.
