Edmonton Oilers eliminate Calgary Flames in dramatic OT fashion
Captain Connor McDavid secured the Edmonton Oilers' ticket into the Western Conference Final with an overtime goal.
At 5:03 into overtime, McDavid sniped the goal after a pass from Leon Draisaitl, notching his seventh goal of the playoffs, to give the Oilers their 5-4 victory in Game 5 of the second round.
Zach Hyman had a goal and two assists, while Darnell Nurse, Jesse Puljujarvi and Evan Bouchard also netted goals.
Draisaitl recorded his fifth consecutive three-point game of the 2022 playoffs. Only three players in NHL history posted a longer streak of point games than the centre player, including Jari Kurri, Bobby Orr, and Wayne Gretzky — none of whom did so during playoff play.
Jay Woodcroft, Edmonton's head coach, congratulated the Flames, saying they pushed the Oilers.
"They were just excellent in this series," he said.
In his view, the Oilers weren't able to start the first period in the way they would've liked.
"We fought our way back from 2-0 down," Woodcroft said. "The second period was a little bit of a crazy period, but there were a lot of good things in that period for us as well."
The third period represented some of the best Oilers hockey of the night, Woodcroft added.
"There was some things that we could clean up. Heading into overtime, we talked about that," he said. "But I think with our group there's a measure of calm, measure of composure, and a strong belief that we have the people in the room to get us through any type of circumstance."
McDavid said tonight's back-and-forth game was much like the whole series against the Flames.
"Tonight was a bit crazy there at the end of the second," he told reporters.
"Crazy Game 1, we got down in Game 2, and kind of just hung in there all series and found a way to get it done.
"That was really the moral of the whole series."
When asked about how it felt to score the game and series-winning goal, McDavid said it was "hard to put into words" what it meant to him.
"The guys did a great job of hanging in there all night," he said. "Definitely wasn't our best effort, but we stuck in there.
"(I'm) just happy to contribute on a night where maybe I didn't have my best," he added.
For McDavid, playing in a Battle of Alberta playoff edition was "special," especially so after a series win.
"It was real fun," he said. "The fans were amazing in both buildings, especially in Edmonton. Just the energy and the vibe around the city has been amazing."
Darryl Sutter, Calgary's head coach, said there were a lot of missed opportunities for the Flames.
"We kind of ran out of ammo in this round here," Sutter said.
When asked about his thoughts regarding the disallowed third-period goal that could have won the game for Calgary, Sutter said it depends on what one calls a "distinct kicking motion."
"If somebody's on the ground and you lift your foot up and kick him in the head, that's a distinct kicking motion," he said.
"If you slide your foot on the ground, that's not a distinct kicking motion," he added.
Woodcroft said he was "pretty confident" the referees would side with the Oilers.
"You never know," he added. "We were fortunate that it did go our way."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Man convicted of involuntary manslaughter in father's drowning, told police he was baptizing him
A Massachusetts man who told police he was exorcising a demon and performing a baptism when he shoved his father's head under water multiple times has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter in his death.
New Norad commander calls Canada's defence policy update 'very encouraging'
American troops will be spending more time training in the Far North, the new commander of Norad says, a strategy that fits 'hand-in-glove' with Canada's renewed focus on Arctic defence.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Are Canadians getting sick from expired food?
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
Documents reveal Ottawa's efforts to get Loblaw, Walmart on board with grocery code
It was evident to the federal government as early as last fall that Loblaw and Walmart might be holdouts to the grocery code of conduct, jeopardizing the project's success.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.