5 THINGS - FLAMES AT OILERS

FLAMES (19-9-2) at OILERS (15-12-2)

US

The Flames are coming off a dramatic 5-2 win over the Nashville Predators last night and are now the top team in the Western Conference with a 19-9-2 record for 40 points. Oliver Kylington scored his first NHL goal and Alan Quine - recalled from the Stockton Heat earlier that day - tallied his first in red silks, while Sean Monahan, Garnet Hathaway and Elias Lindholm also found the back of the net in the victory. Mike Smith made 24 saves to extend his personal winning streak to six. As a team, the Flames have won five straight and are 9-1-1 in their last 11 - a streak that began with a victory in the Battle of Alberta back on Nov. 17. … "It was a real good night," coach Bill Peters said following the win over the Nashville. "I thought the guys settled in. We had a little uncertainty in our game early, but we got better in the second and got even better as the game went along in the third. … Those (young) guys coming up, they know how to play. They play the same play we play down in Stockton, so when guys come up here, they execute." … Mark Giordanowill not be in the lineup as he serves the second of a two-game suspension. ... The Flames have recalled Anthony Peluso from the Stockton Heat, and have re-assigned Ryan Lomberg to the club's AHL affiliate. When he returns to the NHL, Lomberg will still have to sit out one more more game after receiving a two-game sanction for the fracas last Thursday against the Minnesota Wild. … David Rittich is likely to get the start in goal. Peters will confirm when he speaks to the media today at around noon.

THEM

The Oilers are 6-2-1 under interim coach Ken Hitchcock, and are feeling good after picking up a 7-2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Friday. Connor McDavid had a four-point (1G, 3A), while linemate Leon Draisaitl scored two and added one helper to pace the Oilers offensively. Cam Talbot made 31 saves and has now won back-to-back starts for the first time in six weeks, but new No. 1 Mikko Koskinen will get the start tonight looking to build on his 8-3-1 record, his 2.23 goals-against average and .925 save percentage. Koskinen last played on Dec. 3 at Dallas, allowing three goals on 24 shots. … "I think Calgary is probably one of the best transition teams in the league right now, so that's something we need to take them out of," Hitchcock told EdmontonOilers.com Saturday. "If there's emotion and there's an extra level of intensity where it feels like a playoff game, then with where our team is at right now that's going to do nothing but make us better."

US VS. THEM

This is the second of four meetings between these two clubs. In their first encounter back on Nov. 17, the Flames rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat their archrivals 4-2 at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Derek Ryan, Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm (2) supplied the offence, while David Rittich made 24 saves - including three shorthanded breakaway stops - in the victory. Of course, the impressive Flames comeback wasn't the headline story from that Battle of Alberta classic. Instead, that fiery episode was a lovely reminder of the bitter, longstanding conflict that endures between these proud, provincial counterparts. In a physical first period that nearly an hour to play, the teams combined for 10 hits and 37 penalty minutes, and there was plenty of beaking between the benches. Is another old-timey chapter in store? Time will tell.

THIS, THAT & THE OTHER

THIS: This is the third back-to-back scenario of the season for the Flames. So far, they're 1-1-0 in the second game of a back-to-back set, with the most recent game being a 3-1 setback to the Sharks in San Jose. The Flames will see another back-to-back situation next weekend when they travel to Minnesota and St. Louis. THAT: Mark Jankowski played his 100th NHL game last night when the Flames took on the Predators. Jankowski was drafted in the first round by the Flames in 2012 and has 21 goals and 14 assists for 35 points. THE OTHER: Oilers captain Connor McDavid has points in 24 of the 28 games he's played this year.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Flames - Matthew Tkachuk
Tkachuk put forth a masterful effort the last time these two teams met. He was constantly in the face of Connor McDavid and even got involved in a few dustups with the talented Oilers captain, drawing the ire of both the Edmonton bench and the fans up north on the QEII. He played his role to a T, single-handedly putting his team on the powerplay by getting involved physically and drawing penalties on both Zack Kassian and Leon Draisaitl, and in doing so, he helped resurrect a rivalry that seemed to have gone dormant over the past few years.
Oilers - Alex Chiasson
The former Flame arrived in the Alberta capital on a PTO, and now, three months later and on a league-minimum, $650,000 salary, he's become one of the squad's most dangerous forwards. In 23 games, Chiasson has 12 goals - just three behind team-leaders Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Incredibly, he's done this on only 37 shots, giving him an impressive (but unsustainable) 32.4% shooting percentage. The seven-year vet is now only one off his career high.