4 first-round Stanley Cup playoff matchups we’d love to see

Calgary vs. Edmonton

Year five into the Connor McDavid era in Edmonton for the Oilers is under a larger microscope than usual. The Oilers are set to earn 40 wins in a season for just the second time over the last decade, and the expectations to reach the Stanley Cup Final haven’t been this high since Mark Messier arguably last wore an Oilers sweater.

The Battle of Alberta between the Oilers and Calgary Flames is as heated as ever considering the Flames expect to also advance to the Cup Final. While these Western Conference foes never disappoint fans with entertainment against one another during the regular season, the Oilers and Flames haven’t met in the playoff since 1990-91.

Similar to Philadelphia and Pittsburgh’s rivalry, the bragging rights for both Calgary and Edmonton are higher than ever considering how Cup hungry each team is. How can we forget how intense the regular-season matchups were this year between the two rivals?

Let’s not forget that there was a goaltender fight between Mike Smith and Cam Talbot earlier this season, who have oddly enough played for both organizations at different times.

Prior to the league suspending the season, one thing for certain was that these two teams strongly disliked one another. The contest between the rivals back on Feb 1. witnessed over 70 penalty minutes and saw the Oilers defeat Calgary by a score of 8-3.

Skaters such as Calgary’s Matthew Tkachuk and Edmonton’s Zack Kassian are just two examples of players who offer an old-school hockey mentality and entertainment. There’s no doubt that this first-round matchup would also see at least one overtime contest considering how competitive the two teams are and star-power they both entail.

Even the average, or non-hockey fan, can appreciate an overtime game during the Stanley Cup playoffs while staying up past midnight.