NHL Rink Wrap: Oilers win ‘Battle of Alberta,’ Hurricanes still perfect at home

• There was some controversy, but the Oilers eliminated the Flames in Game 5, thus winning “The Battle of Alberta.”

• Annoyed by so many mentions of the Hurricanes winning at home, but losing on the road? Oops. The Hurricanes won again at home, pushing the Rangers to the brink of elimination.

• We’ve received some greybeard updates lately. Jaromir Jagr’s apparently leaning toward a 35th season, while Joe Thornton isn’t sure if he’ll retire or keep playing.

• Hard-hitting Capitals winger Tom Wilson recently underwent knee surgery, and is expected to need six-to-eight months to recover. If he falls in the low-end of that recovery window, he wouldn’t miss too much of the 2021-22 regular season.

For the first time in his career, Connor McDavid will appear in the Western Conference Final. While McDavid didn’t dominate Game 5 like he did most of the Oilers – Flames series (and playoffs), he scored the series-clinching goal in overtime.

It capped a wild game, and while many wanted more from “The Battle of Alberta,” they packed a lot of action into five games.

During the first period, Game 5 of Oilers – Flames felt a bit like a replay of Hurricanes – Rangers. Both first periods were low on high-danger chances. With Andrew Mangiapane scoring the only goal of the opening frame, maybe that sort of pace was best for Calgary?

The second period seemed to argue that such a pace is almost certainly better for the Flames. Most stunningly, the Flames and Oilers combined for four goals (on four shots) in just 1:11 in game time. That’s the fastest four goals in NHL playoff history by 22 seconds.

"It's hard to keep up!"

Four goals in 1:11 is the fastest four goals scored in Stanley Cup playoff history! pic.twitter.com/hxdxWZSFcp

— ESPN