PREVIEW - FLAMES @ OILERS

Finally.
It's game day, at last!
An all-rookie edition of the Battle of Alberta is on tap tonight as the Flames prospects head north to face the Edmonton Oilers rookies in the first of a two-game set.

NEED-TO-KNOW
GAME DAY VIDEO
UP CLOSE: Big, Bad Wolf
Pre-Game Interviews with Kerins & Pospisil
GAME DAY FEATURES
Morning Skate Report



STAT PACK
Media Game Notes
Camp Schedule/Roster
Camp Primer
FIRESTARTER PODCAST
Camp Preview with Zary & Pelletier
LIVE STREAM
Watch tonight's game LIVE right here on CalgaryFlames.com beginning at 5 p.m. MT
It's the third time in four years the clubs' young guns have squared off in a mid-September series, with the Flames earning victories in all four matchups to this point.
In the most recent edition of this rookie rivalry, the Flames earned 1-0 and 3-1 wins, courtesy of Calgary boy Matthew Phillips, who tallied the OT winner in a 1-0 affair, before potting the all-important ENG in a 3-1 triumph some 48 hours later.
Dustin Wolf - who is likely to get the start in goal again tonight - stopped 18 of 19 shots that night in 2019.
Two years and nine days later, the 2019 seventh-round pick will take centre stage again as the Flames' Goalie of the Future.
"Putting on the (Flaming) C is obviously a big honour and especially playing against the Oilers," Wolf said. "I got my first taste a couple years ago against them and I'm pretty familiar with how it goes down.
"I'm really excited to step into that scenario again.
"It's been a couple months since I've played a game and it's about getting back into the swing of things, getting back to seeing the guys and getting those relationships back in order. At the end of the day, it's all about having fun and trying to enjoy yourself.
"If you're playing and not having fun, there's no purpose to it."
Wolf, certainly, has had plenty of that over the past few years as a member of Everett Silvertips.
The 2021-22 season will now be his first in the professional ranks after winning the WHL's Goaltender of the Year award in back-to-back campaigns, and coming within two goose-eggs of the Dub's all-time shutout record.
While the past two editions of the all-rookie Battle have included a stop in Red Deer, this is the first time the greenhorns have faced off at Rogers Place in Edmonton.
It's a building that holds a special place in Wolf's heart after winning World Junior gold there this past January.
"It's obviously pretty fond how I last left that building," Wolf said. "There are definitely going to be some good memories, for sure. Hopefully I can relish those and hopefully bring some good luck for the team (tonight)."
Not that they need it.
After all, nothing gets the competitive fire burning brighter than a match with your bitter archrival.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Flames - Dmitry Zavgorodniy
Zavgorodniy has a history of coming up big in these games.
In 2018, the talented right-winger lit the lamp twice and added one assist in a dominant 6-3 victory in Central Alberta.
But it's not the resume, but the repertoire, that should have Flames fans excited about tonight's billing.
The team used a good portion of Friday's practice to work on the powerplay, and Zavgorodniy figured prominently on the No. 1 unit. With Johannes Kinnvall running things up top, Martin Pospisil providing the net-front presence, and fellow gunslingers Jakob Pelletier and Connor Zary distributing through the middle and on the opposite flank, Zavgorodniy was posted up at the right circle and was busy burying one-timers at will.
Keep an eye on that tonight.
At even strength, Zavgorodniy will start on the top line with Zary and Pospisil.
The 5-foot-9, 173-lb. sniper is entering Year 2 as a pro and could be poised to break out after torching the QMJHL from 2017 to 2020.

Oilers - Raphael Lavoie
Like Zavgorodniy, Lavoie turned pro last year after graduating from the QMJHL. Drafted in the second round - 38th overall - by the Oilers in 2019, the 6-foot-3, 205-lb. pivot offers a unique combination of size and skill.
The Chambly, Que. native tallied 10 points (5G, 5A) in 19 games last year with the Bakersfield Condors, and is highly regarded among fans and media, including Oilers radio host and colour commentator, Bob Stauffer, who tweeted this on Friday:
"One forward prospect who has been quite noticeable last couple of days at Rookie Camp is Raphael Lavoie. Big body, has some skill, has improved quickness. Needs some more time to 'percolate' in the AHL, but the Oilers could have a Top-9 RW down the road."
"You get drafted because you've got skills and you're a good hockey player, but you have to play the game the right way if you want to get to the higher levels," Lavoie told Jamie Umbach of EdmontonOilers.com "I think (Condors Head Coach) Jay (Woodcroft) has been working on that a lot with me, and that helped my game a lot. I'll keep working on that and hopefully it gets me to the Oilers."

LIVE AT 5

Tonight's game will be broadcast right here on CalgaryFlames.com beginning at 5 p.m. MT. Highlights, photos and post-game reaction will be available immediately after the game.