The psychological war in the BOA

Calgary won the division in the regular season, and that makes them the favourites to win the series. The Oilers were the favourites to win in round one, but in round two they’ll be the underdogs. Calgary finished with a slightly higher points % than the Oilers did, so unlike in round one the Edmonton Oilers won’t have home ice advantage, but what they will have is the underdog role – which is not necessarily a bad thing as long as the team doesn’t approach the series with a defeatist attitude, which I doubt they will.

You see, as the underdog the Edmonton Oilers can simply play their game without having to feel trapped by pressure inside their own heads like the Flames will be. The pressure is intensified on the Flames because they finished higher in the standings. When you’re expected to win it’s not as much of an accomplishment – at least from the media and fan side – as it is when you’re not expected to win.

The Edmonton Oilers will be able to use that to their advantage mentally throughout the series. If I were Jay Woodcroft I’d be all over that – “Just relax and play, boys. The pressure is on them to win, not us.”