Post-Sim Wrap-Up: Flames beat Oilers 5-1 in regular season finale
By Ryan Pike
4 years agoThe virtual Calgary Flames finished off their simulated regular season on Saturday night when they hosted the Edmonton Oilers at the Saddledome. Both teams needed a win to cement their playoff lives; the Flames came out on top with a composed, complete 5-1 victory over their provincial rivals.
Lineups
Flames:
- Forwards: Gaudreau-Monahan-Lindholm, Mangiapane-Backlund-Tkachuk, Lucic-Ryan-Dube, Bennett-Jankowski-Rieder
- Defense: Giordano-Brodie, Hanifin-Hamonic, Gustafsson-Andersson
- Goalies: Talbot starting, Rittich as backup
Oilers:
- Forwards: Nugent-Hopkins-McDavid-Kassian, Ennis-Draisaitl-Yamamoto, Athanasiou-Sheahan-Archibald, Neal-Khaira-Chiasson
- Defense: Klefbom-Larsson, Nurse-Bear, Russell-Benning
- Goalies: Koskinen starting, with Smith as backup
Results
For much of this game, it was a tight-checking affair with few strong scoring chances. Talbot and Koskinen both played impressively. But the Oilers made some defensive lapses and the Flames were opportunistic. They pulled away in the third period as the Oilers opened up too much defensively.
| Score | Scoring Line | Details |
| 1-0 Flames | Gaudreau 23 (Giordano 33, Monahan 33) 2:52 second | Rebound off initial point shot. |
| 2-0 Flames | Hamonic 5 (Backlund 37) 8:40 second | Wrist shot off the rush. |
| 2-1 Flames | Nugent-Hopkins (Kassian, McDavid) 2:40 third | Wrist shot off the rush. |
| 3-1 Flames | Lindholm 34 (Gustafsson 30, Gaudreau 48) PP 10:53 third | Point shot through traffic. |
| 4-1 Flames | Hamonic 6 (Hanifin 21, Mangiapane 18) 18:35 third | Point shot through traffic. |
| 5-1 Flames | Hanifin 7 (Lucic 20, Hamonic 14) 19:21 third | Point shot through traffic. |
Three Stars
- Travis Hamonic (Flames)
- Noah Hanifin (Flames)
- Johnny Gaudreau (Flames)
The playoff picture
With the win, the Flames move to 44-31-7 and finish the season with 95 points. The Flames have clinched a playoff spot and will face the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round. Vegas plays Vancouver in the late game on Saturday night: a Vegas win gives them home ice, a loss puts the Flames with home ice advantage in the opening round series.
We’ll have more on the virtual playoff picture on Sunday.
The Oilers have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.
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