WORTH THE WAIT

All everyone could talk about leading up to Wednesday's playoff curtain-raiser between the Flames and Oilers were those old postseason Battle of Alberta wars.
The majority of them came in the '80s, when the goal judge's thumb got a tendinitis-inducing workout almost each and every night.
Game 1 at the Scotiabank Saddledome sure harkened back to those halcyon days of score (er, lore), when goals were much easier to come by and teams traded them back-and-forth like kids with hockey cards.

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The Flames led 3-1 after the first period and 5-1 early in the second, but the Oilers scored three straight to end the second trailing just 6-5 to make for a thrilling final frame in front of a raucous capacity crowd.
Edmonton then tied it up early in the third, but Calgary rattled off a trio of their own in an incredibly wild 9-6 victory.
Matthew Tkachuk scored a hat-trick - including an empty-netter - while Blake Coleman had a pair. Elias Lindholm, Andrew Mangiapane, Brett Ritchie and Rasmus Andersson added singles.
The final shots were 48-28 for the homeside.
Also worth noting that the Flames sparkling PK held the Oilers potent powerplay without a goal on four opportunities.
These two teams had another barnburner earlier in the season back on March 26 - the last time they met - when the Flames won 9-5 at the 'Dome.
And just like during that game, there were chants of 'We Want 10' at various times throughout the night.
It was a heckuva start for the Flames Wednesday.
Like about-as-good-as-you-could-possible-hope-for type of start.
They scored twice in the opening 51 seconds, setting an NHL record for the fastest two goals to start a playoff tilt, besting the previous mark set by the Penguins in Game 5 of the 1993 Division Finals.
Lindholm tallied on the first shot of the first shift just 26 seconds in, Johnny Gaudreau passing to Andersson, who fed it across to the centre, who had to settle the puck down before snapping it gloveside past Smith.

Just 23 sticks later, Mangiapane made it 2-0 when he took a feed from Backlund who was behind the net, also having to settle the biscuit in the slot before going gloveside again for his second of the postseason.

Two goals on three shots. Pretty tidy.
The Flames then went to the powerplay, getting a few good cracks, including Mike Smith making a glove stop on Dillon Dube at the top of the blue paint.
Ritchie made it 3-0 at 6:05, taking the puck from Evander Kane and then snapping it home.
That spelt the end of the night for Smith, who was pulled after allowing three goals on nine shots, replaced by Mikko Koskinen.

Connor McDavid got the visitors on the board at 7:41 after a turnover deep in the Calgary zone, skating across the crease before putting one past Markstrom.
The Flames PK came up big later in the frame, not allowing the potent Oilers man-up to get a single shot on net when Mikael Backlund was sent off for cross-checking McDavid.
With 3:07 left in the first, Milan Lucic laid a huge hit on McDavid, sending him crashing to the ice. A few Oilers came flying in, including Kane, and after an ensuing melee, Lucic was the only player penalized, sent off for roughing.
The Flames PK pitched another shutout though.
After 20 minutes, the Flames led 3-1 and the shots were 19-7.
Coleman made it 4-1 just 45 seconds into the second stanza, grabbing a rebound and putting it shortside with a pile of bodies battling on the doorstep.

Coleman scored his second 5:25 after that, tipping a Hanifin shot at a full gallop through the slot, Trevor Lewis getting the other helper.

The shots at that point: 31-8 for the Flames.
Evan Bouchard made it 5-2 but after the goal, Zack Kassian was sent off for roughing.
Jacob Markstrom then made a huge shorthanded stop on a 3-on-1 Oilers rush, kicking out his right pad to deny former Flame Derek Ryan who was all alone.
Tkachuk then made good at the other end, his second of the postseason from Gaudreau and Tyler Toffoli.
Zach Hyman cut the lead again when he skated into the Flames zone, pulled up and fired one that snuck by Markstrom's glove at 9:38.
He added another at 14:06, skating out from behind the Calgary cage and wiring it farside.
Then with just 38.1 seconds left in the period, Leon Draisaitl scored to make it a one-goal game.
Kailer Yamamoto then tied it up 1:28 into the third period.
But the craziness continued.
Andersson put the Flames back ahead when Mangiapane passed to him from behind the net and snapped it shortside at 2:57.

Then Tkachuk capitalized on a loose puck up high in the Oilers zone, grabbing it and skating in with a perfectly-placed five-hole strike.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Shots: CGY 48, EDM 28
Powerplay:CGY 0-4, EDM 1-3
Hits:CGY 22, EDM 23
Face-offs: CGY 47%, EDM 53%
\Scoring chances: CGY 31, EDM 14
\High-danger scoring chances:CGY 13, EDM 6
\According of Natural Stat Trick (5-on-5)*

POSTGAME INTERVIEWS:

THE THREE STARS:

THE SERIES:

Game 1- W 9-6
Game 2-May 20, 8:30 p.m. - vs. Oilers
Game 3- May 22, 6 p.m. - @ Oilers
Game 4 - May 24, 7:30 p.m. - @ Oilers
\Game 5 - May 26, TBD - vs. Oilers
\Game 6 - May 28, TBD - @ Oilers
\Game 7 - May 30, TBD - vs. Oilers
\if necessary

THE LINEUP:

Lines and D pairs to start the game:
FORWARDS:
Johnny Gaudreau - Elias Lindholm - Matthew Tkachuk
Andrew Mangiapane - Mikael Backlund - Blake Coleman
Dillon Dube - Calle Jarnkrok - Tyler Toffoli
Milan Lucic - Trevor Lewis - Brett Ritchie
DEFENCE:
Noah Hanifin - Rasmus Andersson

Oliver Kylington - Michael Stone
Nikita Zadorov - Erik Gudbranson

GOALTENDER:
Jacob Markstrom - Starter
Dan Vladar