PREVIEW - FLAMES VS. OILERS

Take two!
The rookie recruits will look for a bounce-back effort tonight when they host the Edmonton Oilers prospects in the second of a two-game miniseries.

NEED-TO-KNOW
GAME DAY VIDEO
Game Day with Brendan Parker
Pre-Game Interviews
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 6 p.m. MTOn Saturday, the Flames dropped a 4-3 decision after building leads of 2-0 and 3-1, courtesy of Walker Duehr, Ryan Francis and Martin Pospisil.
However, three unanswered goals by the Oilers - including two in the third period - proved to be the difference.
Dustin Wolf got the start in goal for the Flames and had a strong night between the pipes, but was the victim of some unfortunate bounces around the blue paint.
Tonight, the scene shifts to the Scotiabank Saddledome.
"Even though we didn't get the result we were looking for when we came up here, there were lots of teachable moments for these young men - whether it's individually, or as a team," Stockton Heat Head Coach Mitch Love said of Saturday's game.
"There were a lot of good performances.
"You can only find out so much about your players in practice. But when you get into a game setting and you get to see those young mistakes that you make in a hockey game, you learn from those and that's how you get better in this business."

ANYTHING IS POSPISIL

Good things come to those who wait.
In Martin Pospisil's case, he had to wait a bit longer than most.
The 21-year-old power forward was rolling along nicely last year, recording five goals and a half-dozen helpers only 15 games into the abbreviated campaign. But then …
Disaster.
A nasty, knee-on-knee collision with Laval forward Yannick Veilleux resulted in a major knee injury - turning a one-surgery summer into two, and limiting his chance to train at his usual pace, thanks to a lengthy stint in recovery.
"I had a plan already for my shoulder surgery, because I knew before the season I was only going to play about 15 games," he said. "Then I got hit and my MCL was completely torn.
"I was doing rehab the whole summer, my knee and shoulder, so it was a pretty busy summer."
In fact, it was only a month ago now that Pospisil started feeling like his usual self again.
"I was doing rehab for six weeks, but when you get back on the ice, you can't go 100% right away," he said. "I was picking up the pace and four weeks ago, I was 100% ready to play."
His goal Saturday was the perfect way to put that scare behind him.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Flames - Ilya Nikolaev
Flames fans could be getting their first look at the 2019 third-round pick after he sat out the previous game in Edmonton. The 20-year-old will be making his North-American debut this year with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL after spending the past two seasons in Russia.
Last year, Nikolaev had seven goals and 13 points in 37 games with Buran Voronezh of the VHL, and eight goals and 18 points in 21 tilts with Loko Yaroslavl of the MHL.
"He's a solid, two-way centre that played with the 10th-overall pick (Vancouver's Vasily Podkolzin), and they were really good together," Flames Director of Amateur Scouting, Tod Button, said on draft day in 2019. "They had different wingers, but he was the hub of that line.
"He's a guy that connects the defencemen to the wingers. Solid playmaker; smart, competitive, and we're very happy we got him."
Nikolaev will line up at centre between Jakob Pelletier and fellow countryman Dmitry Zavgorodniy tonight.
Keep an eye out for the 6-foot, 185-lb. pivot wearing No. 77.
Oilers - Philip Broberg
As a first-round pick - eighth overall - in the 2019 draft, Broberg has always carried the weight of expectations.
Now, more than ever.
The 6-foot-3, 203-lb. blueliner has played pro in Sweden over the past two years, but will be making the transition to North America this year - likely, with the AHL's Bakersfield Condors as he begins his quest to The Show.
It's a long road, still, but the 20-year-old has all the tools: Speed, size, and excellent puck skills.
Combined, it's a dangerous combination.

6 O'CLOCK NEWS

Tonight's game will be broadcast right here on CalgaryFlames.com beginning at 6 p.m. MT. Highlights, photos and post-game reaction will be available immediately after the game.