PREVIEW - FLAMES @ OILERS
You can watch tonight's game live right here on CalgaryFlames.com or the Flames Facebook page
by RYAN DITTRICK @ryandittrick / CalgaryFlames.com
The Flames continue the road portion of their pre-season schedule tonight as they visit the Edmonton Oilers at 7 p.m. MT.
You can watch the game LIVE right here on CalgaryFlames.com or the Flames Facebook page (recommended) if you live in the team's broadcast region (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories and Nunavut).
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You can watch tonight's game LIVE right here on CalgaryFlames.com
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As the pre-season rolls on, the offence heats up.
Individuals rise and chemistry is made.
Dillon Dube and Alan Quine led the way with a goal and an assist each as the Flames knocked off the visiting San Jose Sharks 6-4 on Wednesday at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Sean Monahan, Adam Ruzicka, Derek Ryan, and Johnny Gaudreau (an empty-netter off a comical, late-game gaffe by Sharks hopeful Tony Sund) also tallied for the homeside, while Jon Gillies made 16 saves.
With the win, the Flames improved to 2-0-1 in the pre-season.
In the victory, Dube auditioned alongside the Flames' dynamite, top-line tandem of Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau for the contest, finishing with 17:45 of ice time, including a team high 2:09 on the powerplay.
The goal - made possible by Quine forcing a turnover at the offensive blueline - was a beauty, as he took the puck hard to the blue paint and made a great move in tight, slipping it far side with a buttery deke to the forehand.
Dube, who was the talk of the town last year after lighting up the pre-season and earning a spot on the Flames' opening-night roster, is making a bid again this year after splitting the 2018-19 campaign between the big club and Calgary's American Hockey League affiliate, the Stockton Heat.
On Thursday, the Flames released veteran blueliner Eric Gryba from his PTO, trimming their training camp roster down to 53 players - 31 forwards, 16 defencemen and six goaltenders.
Video: Bill Peters gives an update on tonight's roster
The Oilers, meanwhile, are coming off a 6-1 defeat at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks last night, dropping their exhibition record to 1-2-0.
Mikko Koskinen, who allowed four goals on 23 shots in the loss, will get the start in goal again tonight.
Tomas Jurco (1G, 1A), Oscar Klefbom (0G, 2A) and Cooper Marody (0G, 2A) lead the Oilers in pre-season scoring.
Connor McDavid, who suffered a PCL injury in last year's regular-season finale against the Flames, has yet to play in the pre-season, and is unlikely to suit up before the official fall launch, Oct. 2 against the Canucks.
Over the summer, the Oilers acquired James Neal from the Flames in exchange for Milan Lucic, and bolstered their forward corps with the acquisitions of European forwards Joakim Nygard (previously with Farjestad of the SHL), Gaeten Haas (Bern, Swiss-A), and the most recent addition - 28-year-old KHL lifer Anton Burdasov, who's in the Alberta capital on a PTO.
Former Flames goalie Mike Smith, who signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Oilers back on Jul. 1, has missed most of training camp due to the flu. The 37-year-old recently resumed skating, and could re-join the team for an official, full-squad practice in the coming days.