'Rough And Rowdy'

EDMONTON – ‘Hate’ is a strong word.

But the reality is, few Battles are won with half-measures, kid-gloves and play-fighting.

For whatever reason, the Flames haven’t had their best against their bitter archrivals recently, dating back to their second-round playoff series in the spring of ’22. And with an 0-2 mark this year, including a 3-1 ruse in their own barn a month ago, there’s a growing lust among the team’s leadership ranks to right the ship and turn the rivalry back in their favour.

And what better time than now, up north on the QEII, with a national audience to bear witness?

“Everybody knows the rivalry and how intense these games are,” said Brayden Pachal, who will get his first-ever taste of the BOA tonight. “It’s right up my alley and I’m definitely looking forward to the first one.”

Despite growing up in Saskatchewan – traditionally neutral territory, but with diehard allegiances that form young and swing fervently to one side of the neighbouring province – Pachal was a Bruins fan.

Imagine that.

Still, he knows everything this rivalry stands for and can’t wait to strap on the sleds at Rogers Place tonight.

The 6-foot-2, 202-lb. bruiser has brought plenty of bite to the blueline since being claimed off waivers on Feb. 5. If the Oilers want to get nasty, he’ll be happy to oblige and get physical with Edmonton’s top players.

“We have to set the tone with our intensity,” he said. “They're coming off a game last night, so it's up to us to set the tone in the first period and keep it going for a full 60.”

Naturally, that’s incumbent on everyone in the locker-room.

And over the past few days, you can definitely sense where the players’ heads are at when it comes to facing – and more importantly, stopping – their Pacific counterparts.

Nazem Kadri, for example, is someone Head Coach Ryan Huska described as having the ultimate disdain for losing. He hates it more than he loves winning, which says a lot about someone that climbed the mountain and won hockey’s ultimate prize a few years ago.

Then there was Blake Coleman, who said Friday it was high time for the Flames to “start winning games in this rivalry,” and that it’s “been frustrating losing to a team like this that we feel we can beat.”

Typically, in hockey, you don’t hear that kind of candor. It is, after all, an admission that the opponent has your number.

Players hate doing that.

But it’s a clear indication that they hate losing even more.

“We try to be in everyone's face, every game we play,” said Rasmus Andersson, who will likely see a ton of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl tonight. “We try to take care of our own business, but if it gets rough and rowdy out there, we're not a team to shy away from it.

“The home game (a 3-1 loss back on Jan. 20), I thought we played pretty tight and that game could've gone either way. (But) I think we were too passive against this team. They've got to make them defend and that's the way you beat these guys.”

Welcome Back, Pelts

Pachal isn’t the only Flame getting his first look at this age-old rivalry. Martin Pospisil is, too.

And so is Jakob Pelletier.

No. 22 will be back in the lineup tonight after missing four games with an upper-body injury, and is slated to play on a line with Yegor Sharangovich and Jonathan Huberdeau.

Andrei Kuzmenko – who is “not well,” according to Huska – will not be available this evening.

“I think it's great. I really do,” Huska said of having Pelletier back in the fold. “He's an infectious personality (and) character around our dressing room. And I think when you get into these type of games, it's good to have someone like that in the room, but also available for us on the ice.”

Meanwhile, Dan Vladar will get the start in goal tonight, as Jacob Markstrom is “not 100%.”

Vladar was absolutely sensational in his last start, turning aside 29 of 31 shots in the Jan. 20 edition of the Battle of Alberta. 

“He gave us a chance, especially in the first period,” Huska said. “If you remember way back into that first period, we were not at our best and they had a lot of good looks in that game and he was excellent to start the game. We want to make sure our team starts better tonight than we did in that game to make sure we have some good pace to what we want to do, so we don't have to rely on him as much as we did in the first period of that game.”