3 reasons the Calgary Flames lost their series vs the Edmonton Oilers

The Calgary Flames fizzled out at the worst possible time.

For those of us born in the 1990s and later, we’d never witnessed a Calgary Flames vs Edmonton Oilers playoff series. It might be safe to say, we never want to experience it again.

After a tough seven-game series against the Dallas Stars, the Flames were in full control of steamrolling the Oilers. Goalie Jacob Markstrom was hot, forwards Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk were rolling, and Calgary had momentum.

Unfortunately, Edmonton has the world’s best player in forward Connor McDavid and potentially the world’s second-best forward in Leon Draisaitl. Heck, even goalie Mike Smith was playing like a top goaltender despite giving up some weird goals like this one in game four.

Before we dive into the series and nitpick why this team burned out, let’s address the Flames potential fifth goal in Game 5.

With the teams tied 4-4 late in the third period, forwards Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman were crashing the net. Backlund shot the puck and as it was heading into the net, Coleman ushered it in with his skate.

According to the NHL Rule book:

"49.2 Goals – Kicking the puck shall be permitted in all zones. A goal cannot be scored by an attacking player who uses a distinct kicking motion to propel the puck into the net with his skate/foot. A goal cannot be scored by an attacking player who kicks a puck that deflects into the net off any player, goalkeeper or official. A puck that deflects into the net off an attacking player’s skate who does not use a distinct kicking motion is a legitimate goal. A puck that is directed into the net by an attacking player’s skate shall be a legitimate goal as long as no distinct kicking motion is evident."

The question is: was there a distinct kicking motion?

Did Coleman need to stick out his leg to help the puck cross the line? We’ve seen many times in this series shots nearly trickling in, only to be cleared by the defence. His mindset wasn’t wrong. But the extension of his left leg most likely overturned the call on the ice.

The unfortunate part of this rule is the grey area. What is considered a kicking motion? There have been goals deemed legal with more of a soccer-style kick. But did the refs and video replay determine the extension near the goal line was a kick? Coleman’s argument: he was trying to stop and gain balance with Oilers defenceman Cody Ceci crashing into him.

Nonetheless, the Flames shouldn’t have allowed the referees to dictate their outcome. They played average all series. Average against the top two players in the league just isn’t good enough.