Lucic insists he wasn't trying to hurt goalie Smith

Milan Lucic, who isn't facing any supplementary discipline from the NHL'S Player Safety folks for his takedown of Mike Smith as he handled the puck behind the Edmonton Oilers net in Game 3, makes no apologies for the play.

“I definitely didn't go in trying to hit him. I was braking,” said the Calgary Flames winger, who got a five-minute penalty and a game misconduct in the third period. Smith went to concussion protocol before returning to finish the 4-1 Oilers victory with Mikko Koskinen taking over in net for four minutes.

“The main thing is I don't want everyone getting into what I was thinking or trying to do or if he sold it a little bit,” said Lucic, with his coach Darryl Sutter saying there could have been serious damage if Lucic hadn't slowed down.

“If I did charge him, we both wouldn't be playing tomorrow.”

Lucic would be suspended and Smith would be hurt.

“So, yes, maturity.”

Smith was shaken up, not expecting to being hit, and had to go to be checked out for a possible concussion. He was fine.

“I don't even think my head hit anything, my helmet just flew off. It's still attached,” he said. “It's the playoffs and they're trying to rattle you.”

This wasn't like the infamous collision between Lucic and Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller in November 2011 while Lucic was with Boston. Lucic was chasing down a loose puck and Miller came out of his net. Lucic bowled over Miller and got two minutes for charging and no suspension, to Miller's dismay.

LUCIC SCOUTING REPORT

Lucic played three years here, often with Connor Mcdavid and/ or Leon Draisaitl, so he knows how good they are apart and especially together on the same attacking line as they are in this Battle of Alberta.

“You've seen teams trying to put their two best players together and it doesn't have chemistry but from playing with Connor and Leon and now against them, they do have great chemistry,” Lucic said.

“They know where each other is at all times. They're good at one on ones. They're good at playing give and go, all that stuff. That's where puck possession comes in. It's huge. If we have the puck, they can't make the plays.”

Mcdavid and Draisaitl are the best tag team in the NHL and it will take a full-court, five-man Flames' effort to slow them down. Something they haven't done.

“If you want to out-skill Connor and Leon and outscore them, good luck,” Lucic said.