Only one team from Alberta will be qualifying for the post-season.
With the Colorado Avalanche taking their game to overtime against the St. Louis Blues, the dagger into the Edmonton Oilers' playoff chances was officially punched.
The elimination comes a day after their provincial rivals to the south clinched the Pacific Division and top seed in the Western Conference.
With the post-season on the horizon, the Flames ice-crew are already preparing for the first round by installing the 'Stanley Cup Playoffs' graphic, courtesy of Calgary Sun reporter Zach Laing.
The kicker? The Flames host the Oilers on Saturday night in the regular season finale.
A masterful troll job, or is the ice crew just starting things early?
A little bit of column A, a little bit of column B, perhaps.
Would the NHL even allow the Flames to print it on the ice yet? Or, was this an April fool’s joke, or is the ice crew just prepping the layout since it’s not officially under the ice yet?
One thing that's for sure, though, that by officially being eliminated, the Oilers have now missed the post-season in 12 of the last 13 seasons following their 2006 Stanley Cup Final run.
(h/t Zach Laing)
