5 THINGS - FLAMES @ OILERS

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Scoring Leaders
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Leading Scorers:
Flames:
Points - Johnny Gaudreau (21)
Goals - Gaudreau (9)
Oilers:
Points - Connor McDavid (40)
Goals - McDavid (14)
Special Teams:
Flames:
PP - 21.4% (16th) / PK - 78.8% (16th)
Oilers:
PP - 25.9% (8th) / PK - 76.3% (22nd)
Advanced Stats:
Flames:
Shot Attempts: 50.62% (9th)
High-Danger Chances: 50.13% (15th)
Oilers:
Shot Attempts: 49.3% (19th)
High-Danger Chances: 51.14% (10th)

1. US

It certainly was an eventful 24 hours for the Flames.
Eager to get back in the win column and reignite their scoring, they played an '80s-esque tilt at the Scotiabank Saddledome Thursday night, beating the Ottawa Senators 7-3 in their fourth straight game against the new division rivials.
Dillon Dube recorded his first career hat-trick in the victory, Josh Leivo and Brett Ritchie scored their first tallies as members of the Flames, and Derek Ryan made an emphatic return from a 13-game stint on the IR with a goal and two points.
Matthew Tkachuk was impressive with three helpers in the victory.
Following the game, the team announced Geoff Ward had been relieved of his duties and former bench boss and GM Darryl Sutter would be returning to the team as head coach.
Sutter - along with GM Brad Treliving - held a press conference Friday morning prior the team's practice, after which the players boarded a plan to Edmonton.

However, Sutter is still at his home in Viking, Alta., unable to join the team until Monday due to Covid protocols.
In his absence tonight against the Oilers and Sunday against the Sens back at the 'Dome, Ryan Huska will serve as head coach for those two contests.
"We have two big games here before Darryl comes in," said Huska. "...We want to make sure we do things right for these next couple games so that we put ourselves in a good position for when Darryl does join us."

2. THEM

The Oilers were a heckuva roll until they ran smack dab into the Maple Leafs.
Edmonton had won seven of eight - including recent 2-1 and 7-1 victories over the Flames - before they started a three-game set with the Maple Leafs at Rogers Place on Feb. 27.
They were blanked in that tilt 4-0.
They followed that up by being shutout again, 3-0 on March 1, before wrapping the series with a 6-1 loss on March 3.
The team's big guns of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisailt were held without a point in the mini-series.
As if there wasn't already enough on the line in a divisional Battle of Alberta tilt on a Saturday night, the Oilers will be plenty motivated to respond and snap out of their current slump.
"These are moments during seasons that can define you as a team," forward Jujhar Khaira said Friday. "You can either sit in a slump or work as a team to get back to how we were playing and slowly climb up the standings again."

3. THIS, THAT & THE OTHER

THIS:Tonight marks the 250th meeting between these two longtime provincial rivals. Calgary holds a 125-99-19-2-4 record over Edmonton for a .552% winning percentage ... THAT:Calgary has played 15 of their 24 games on the road (63%) so far this season. They only have 13 remaining road games left ... THE OTHER: Johnny Gaudreau is tied for fourth in the league in game-winning goals this year with three.

4. PLAYERS TO WATCH

Flames - Dillon Dube
The Calgary kid (well, kind of: born in Golden, but spent time growing up in Cochrane) notched his first career hat-trick in the win over the Senators. Of course, with no fans in the stands, he didn't get to experience the C Of Red flood the ice with caps.
"It was overwhelming. It filled the whole ice with them," he joked after the game. "Marky throwing his hat - I appreciate it, showing some love there. ... The support from the gusy once you get it was huge and any way you can get them, you'll take them.

Oilers - Connor McDavid
The captain - who leds the NHL in scoring with 40 points - is looking to get off the schneid after being held pointless by Toronto. In his last outing against the Flames, he scored a hat-trick and finished the night with five points.

5. QUOTABLE

"We have to play that way, because if we don't, we're going to lose a lot more games than we win. I've said it numerous, numerous times, we need to get to our hits early, set the tone right away, play fast with the puck in their zone. And anything you get a three-goal lead like we got in the first, we'll take that."
- Matthew Tkachuk after Thursday's win