'UNREAL TO BE A PART OF'

EDMONTON - Think Johnny Gaudreau and Connor McDavid, and what truly sets them apart.
For these two - and for superstars, everywhere - their greatest asset is not the breakneck, getaway speed, the magnificent move-set, or exceptional hand skill.
(That's a big part of it!)
But really, it's the aptitude. The creativity. The ability to lure the enemy into a false sense of security, daring defenders to make that one, wrong move.

In the animal kingdom, it's referred to as aggressive mimicry - the old 'wolf in sheep's clothing' strategy, where the puck is the 'bait' that draws you in to that frivolous pursuit.
Fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me twice?
"Players like that, they're always trying to create room for themselves," said Noah Hanifin, who played north of 11 minutes against McDavid in Game 2. "That's why they're so good. The elite players in the league are all like that, and when they have space, they make plays. Anyone who's in that calibre, they'll make plays out there, but it's about limiting those chances and really staying on top of them.
"If you can frustrate them by doing that, I think that's the best way to defend them."
McDavid is the NHL's playoff point leader with 20 (6G, 14A) in his first nine games, becoming the fastest player to reach that mark since Mario Lemieux in 1992. Only Wayne Gretzky (x4) and Mike Bossy have done it quicker, each hitting the 20-point plateau in only eight postseason games.
Stopping him altogether might be impossible, but slowing him down is an art the Flames must master.
"I think for a guy like Connor, he's a guy that really thrives on his skating and the way he uses his edges," said Blake Coleman. "I think getting into him, whether he's building speed… Give him little bumps, little things to get him off his edges.
"Obviously, you're going to try and play him physical and make life hard for him. That's the basic thing. But I think anytime he's building speed, you build speed with him. You've got to know he's on the ice. You've got to have an awareness and I think we've lacked that, at times, in this series of understanding of the personnel they have on the ice. Not that you need to change your game, but you do things a little differently knowing that certain guys are on the ice, and he's one of those guys.
"It's a team effort. You're not going to shut him down with one guy. You need to be conscious on him and make life a lot harder than we have been."
Whether it's Gaudreau or Matthew Tkachuk, McDavid or Leon Draisaitl, superstars thrive when they can dictate the play style and force their opponents into a docile, defensive posture.
In a series like this, where the "individual skill" - as Head Coach Darryl Sutter called it - is this elite, the margin for error is razor-thin. One exceptional play, one mistake or missed assignment, and the result can be catastrophic.
There's a reason these players have the ability to turn nothing into something spectacular.
They're simply a cut above.
So, rather than fixate on what McDavid is doing, the Flames are looking to get back to their dominant possession game and get the biscuit into the hands of their own puck wizard as often as possible.
Gaudreau is coming off a two-point effort in Game 2 and brings a seven-game playoff point streak into tonight's game. It's the longest point streak by a Flame since Al MacInnis's 17-game spree in 1989.
"It starts in the D-zone," Hanifin said. "I think we've got to be a little faster in our breakouts and kill more plays and not give them any time to get going in the O-zone. Once we start and have good breakouts, that usually leads to a lot of our puck possession and chances in the O-zone. I think that's something that we definitely have to focus on tonight."
The Oilers, having the levelled the series with a 5-3 victory in Game 2, are now the home team and have the advantage of last change for Games 3 and 4 in Edmonton.
But that hasn't been a problem for this team all season.
The Flames set a franchise record for the most road victories in a single campaign with 25 this year, and allowed the third-fewest goals-against with an average of 2.63 per game.
Best of all, their best players were their best players.
Gaudreau led the Flames with 54 points (19G, 35A) in 41 road tilts, which was tied for the fourth-most in the NHL. Jacob Markstrom, meanwhile, had the second-best save percentage (.926) and third-best goals-against average (2.31), and finished with a record of 15-7-2 away from the Scotiabank Saddledome.
To this point, the series has been defined by the stars.
Tonight is a chance for the Flames and their big-game players to make a statement of their own, as the Battle of Alberta scene shifts north to Edmonton's raucous Rogers Place.
"It's awesome," Hanifin said of the buzz around the two cities. "It's unreal to be a part of. Obviously, this is the first time in quite a long time that they've had this rivalry in the playoffs. It's pretty historic and it's pretty cool to be a part of. I love the atmosphere and obviously Alberta is going pretty crazy for it right now.
"It's awesome and I'm excited to get it going tonight in Edmonton."