Flames' Markstrom still has "sour taste" from playoff series loss to Oilers

Calgary Flames goalie Jacob Markstrom isn’t forgetting about the Edmonton Oilers anytime soon.

Last season, Markstrom finished second in Vezina Trophy voting as the NHL’s goaltender of the year last month, losing out to Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers. But in the team’s second round loss to the Oilers, Markstrom went 1-4-0 with a goals against average of 5.12 and a save percentage of .852. Safe to say, he wasn’t at his best, and he knew it.

In an interview with Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts podcast hosted by Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek, Markstrom said he’s still got the way last season ended on his mind as motivation.

“It’s a tough pill to swallow, but for me personally, I don’t want to forget it completely… you wanna have that sour taste in your mouth,” he told Sportsnet. “That’s what gets you up in the morning, and gets you into the gym and to work a little harder than last year.”

Markstrom helped the Flames to a 50-21-11 record and a first-place finish as the No. 1 seed in the Pacific Division. But the Oilers had his number in the regular season as well, as he went 2-2-0 with an .884 save percentage, allowing 14 goals in just four games.

Markstrom added that it’s important to try to keep a cool head in the high-intensity Battle of Alberta, joking that he’s distracted by the extracurricular fan activities.

“I think the mental part of just kind of take a step back and you know, you’re always trying to figure out what what you can do but to really emphasize to not get carried away both emotionally and you know, for me seem to have the most success when I’m just even keeled,” he said. “There’s fights in the stands, you wanna you want to get up and get involved.”

The full podcast is available here, with Markstrom’s clip linked below.

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