Edmonton Oilers Dominate Calgary Flames in Battle of Alberta Playoff Opener
McDavid and Draisaitl Lead the Way
Evan Bouchard Scores Game-Winner
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) - Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were unstoppable as the Edmonton Oilers took Game 1 of the Battle of Alberta playoff series against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night.
McDavid had a goal and two assists, while Draisaitl added a goal and three assists as the Oilers stormed back from an early deficit to win 6-3.
Evan Bouchard scored the game-winning goal with 7:09 remaining in the third period. He took a pass from McDavid and ripped a shot from the point past Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom.
The Oilers improved to 1-0 in the best-of-seven series, while the Flames fell to 0-1. Game 2 is set for Friday night in Calgary.
The Oilers got off to a slow start, but they turned the game around in the second period. They scored three goals in the period to take a 3-2 lead, and they never looked back.
McDavid scored the tying goal early in the second period, and he assisted on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins' goal to give the Oilers a 2-1 lead. Draisaitl added a power-play goal later in the period to make it 3-2.
The Flames tied the game early in the third period on a goal by Andrew Mangiapane, but the Oilers regained the lead for good on Bouchard's goal.
"We didn't have our best start, but we found a way to battle back," said McDavid. "We knew the Flames were going to come out hard, but we weathered the storm and got the win."
"It's a big win for us," added Draisaitl. "We know this is a tough building to play in, but we showed a lot of character tonight."
The Flames were disappointed with the loss, but they know they can come back in Game 2.
"We didn't play our best game, but we're going to put it behind us and focus on Game 2," said Gaudreau. "We know we can play better than this, and we're going to come back stronger on Friday."
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