EDMONTON – Symbolically, perhaps the best execution by a Calgary Flames player over the long weekend was on a weekend.
This came from Milan Lucic, who was asked if maturity was what kept him from completing Mike Smith’s test, as he did forcibly against Ryan Miller a decade ago.
“I definitely didn’t try to hit him, I stopped,” explained Lucic, who was ousted from losing his club in Match 3 but will not be penalized.
“I think I agree with Daryl in the sense that if I really attacked, we both wouldn’t play tomorrow. So yes … maturity. Yes.”
He smiled.
A mature approach is definitely what the relatively inexperienced Flames team needs, hoping to change the story in a series in which the Oilers scored eight consecutive goals in games 2 and 3 to take a 2-1 lead.
With the exception of two slow starts, McDavid and his top line spent most of their time putting Flames on their heels in a high-scoring streak that did not favor Flames.
What is needed now is for the Flames to reverse the scenario by returning to the physical game with a first-hand test of first possession, which led them to the division title.
Their tough approach was what drove them through Round 1 when they faced a similar deficit in the series against Dallas.
But as Mike Tyson famously said, “Everyone has a plan until they get hit in the face.”
Well, Connor McDavid and Oilers sucked the Flames by dictating the style of play in a series that was too harmless for Calgary.
“Maybe our focus was a little too much on the Oilers and somehow we started playing their game a little more than we wanted to play our game,” Lucic told a club that needs to look at the navel as the rest of the hockey world focuses on dominance. of McDavid.
“You must also give them credit. They played very well in the first three games. All our energy and focus should be on finding our game. When we do that, we give ourselves a really good chance to win. “
The old line “it’s not you, it’s me” applies.
Such is life after the NHL season, where the team that more effectively imposes its style of play on the other invariably moves forward.
In the media and on the ice, the Flames appear to be wasting a tremendous amount of energy on McDavid’s mastery, prompting him to challenge NHL playoff records with a series that saw him dissect the Nine-point Flames in three exits.
Like Jake Oettinger in the last round, this series became the captain of the Oilers.
Flames have to deal with them, which is easier said than done.
“Especially against a man like Connor and Oilers, if you want to surpass them and surpass them, good luck,” Lucic said.
“Give up four + goals in the first three games, this is not a very good trait, especially when we were the second best team in defense in the league this year. We just need to focus on what we need to do as a group and what our foundation is and what our identity is in order to bring it into our game. “
This means hockey with low results and low events, which requires you to be extremely aware of when and where McDavid is on the ice.
But not to the point of distraction.
“I know I play with them and now I play against them, they have great chemistry when they are on the ice together,” Lucic told former teammates of Oilers McDavid and Leon Drysight.
“They know where they are at all times. They are really good at one-on-one, playing give-and-go and all sorts of things. This is where possession of the puck comes into play and it is huge in this series. If we have the puck, they can’t play. And all five boys on the ice have to check on these guys. This is something we need to do better to move forward. “
It certainly seems that a village will be needed to stop McDavid these days.
“It’s not about the opponent you’re playing with, it’s about what we’re doing,” said assistant coach Kirk Mueller.
“People have done a pretty good job talking about these two, and they’ve done a great job right. They have had good playoffs so far. But I think we need to look at the big picture and look at ourselves and what we can do and what we do well.
“I think if we do that, we will have a different result. We are really focused on our group right now. ”
Add Comment