5 Things - Flames @ Oilers

1. The Great Outdoors

The air is crisp, there’s late-autumn snow on the ground, and the Flames and Oilers are set to contest the Battle of Alberta for the first time this season.

And they’ll be doing it outside for the first time ever.

Calgary landed in the Alberta capital Friday evening, and players and staff got a feel for their Commonwealth Stadium surroundings Saturday night ahead of the 38th outdoor game in NHL history.

But as special as the atmosphere is expected to be, there are two valuable points up for grabs too, for a pair of Alberta sides looking to end the month of October on a happy note, not to mention provincial bragging rights.

It’s the type of game that creates its own adrenaline, something Head Coach Ryan Huska hopes his players will take advantage of when the puck hits the playing surface just after 5 pm.

“This is a pretty special event for these guys to be a part of,” Huska told reporters before his team headed north Friday. “They’ll be excited about it; there’s going to be a lot of energy and a lot of emotion on both sides, for sure.”

The Flames, like their Alberta counterparts, will don special Heritage uniforms for the contest, with some players taking advantage of the old-time feel with special wraps on their sticks.

According to Huska, though, there’s a happy medium between enjoying the moment, and staying focused on the task at hand.

“It’s another game, it’s an important game, but it’s different in the sense that you may never get this chance again,” he said. "Without a doubt, you want to enjoy your moments while you’re at the rink, but recognize that this is a game where two points are on the line.

“That’s the most important thing.”

2. Know Your Enemy

The chatter in Edmonton focused on Connor McDavid Saturday, as the Oilers captain was a full participant in practice at Commonwealth Stadium after missing the past two games due to injury.

McDavid skated on a line with Leon Draisaitl and Warren Foegele at practice, though Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft stopped short of confirming his captain’s return to the lineup at the Heritage Classic.“I thought it was a good sign that he practiced,” Woodcroft told reporters Saturday evening.

“We’ll see, but he looked pretty good to me.”

No doubt McDavid’s return would be a welcome one for an Edmonton squad that has mustered just one win through its opening seven games, the most recent of which was a 3-0 shutout loss at the hands of the New York Rangers Thursday.

The reigning Hart and Art Ross Trophy winner sits second in Oilers scoring with eight points from his five outings so far in 2023-24.

For both teams, tonight’s game represents an opportunity to get back on track. A winning performance under the bright lights of the Heritage Classic stage could be just the tonic both the Flames and Oilers are looking for.

That’s not lost on Woodcroft, particularly given his squad’s role as hosts.

“I think each one of these games takes on its own life, it takes on the personality of the city that’s hosting it,” Woodcraft said. “We’re very proud to be hosting this game, and we’re looking forward to (making) sure we’re playing at an optimal level.”

3. Fast Facts

2022-23 Season Series:

The road team won each of the three meetings between Calgary and Edmonton in 2022-23, with all three games having been decided by one goal.

The Flames’ lone visit to Rogers Place last season came Oct. 15; Calgary scored four times in the first period en route to a 4-3 win, with Andrew Mangiapane’s tally 10:18 into the contest serving as the decider.

The Oilers evened the season series two weeks later at Scotiabank Saddledome with a 3-2 win, then took the rubber match at the ‘Dome Dec. 21 by a 2-1 scoreline.

Did You Know?

Nazem Kadri is set to skate in his fifth outdoor NHL game this evening, and first as a member of the Flames.

Kadri appeared in three outdoor contests with the Toronto Maple Leafs (2014 Winter Classic, 2017 Centennial Classic, 2018 Stadium Series) and one with the Colorado Avalanche (2021 NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe).

Overall, he holds a 3-1-0 career record in outdoor games.

4. Roster Notes

The Flames went with these forward combinations and defensive pairings at practice at Commonwealth Stadium Saturday:

Forwards

Jonathan Huberdeau - Nazem Kadri - Matt Coronato
Dryden Hunt - Elias Lindholm - Dillon Dube
Andrew Mangiapane - Mikael Backlund - Blake Coleman
A.J. Greer - Yegor Sharangovich - Walker Duehr

Adam Ruzicka

Defence

Noah Hanifin - MacKenzie Weegar
Ilya Solovyov - Chris Tanev
Nikita Zadorov - Dennis Gilbert

Jordan Oesterle

Goaltenders

Jacob Markstrom
Dan Vladar

5. Players to Watch

Flames - MacKenzie Weegar

Weegar has elevated to the Flames’ top pairing in the absence of Rasmus Andersson, a trend that’s likely to continue at the Heritage Classic.

According to Natural Stat Trick, Weegar posted a 66.67% Corsi rating against the Blues Thursday night, and he’s been on the ice for 12 or fewer opposing shot attempts in four of his last five games.

At the other end of the ice, Weegar has been good at getting pucks through to the net, too. He’s tied for the team lead in shots on goal with Nazem Kadri, and has registered two or more pucks on target in each of the last seven games.

Oilers - Leon Draisaitl

Draisaitl enters tonight’s contest leading the Oilers in scoring with 11 points (4G, 7A), while his three powerplay markers are tied for the NHL lead.

The German forward has the talent to turn any game on its ear, though he was held without a goal in the three-game season series with the Flames a year ago.

Draisaitl has also been dangerous in the faceoff circle this year, winning 57.3% of his draws through the first seven games of the campaign.