5 Things - Flames @ Oilers

1. Away For The Holidays

No partridges.

No turtle doves.

Just two points heading into the Christmas break.

That’s the task at hand for Mikael Backlund and the Flames, as they close out the pre-holiday portion of their schedule tonight in Edmonton, the first of two festive Battles of Alberta slated for the next five days.

The Captain has been on fire of late, too, with four goals in his last two games. His second against Vegas Saturday night stood up as the winner, and his nine tallies on the season are just two off the team lead.

When asked about just what’s making Backlund tick, Head Coach Ryan Huska commented that he’s going to the net more.

A statement the veteran centre agreed with.

“It's been bouncing my way the last couple games, and it's always fun to help the team win and score goals,” he said after the team practiced Monday morning at the Scotiabank Saddledome. “But yeah, it definitely helps if you go to the paint.”

But Backlund’s line - with Blake Coleman and Connor Zary - has proven to be a consistent trio of late, too. Against the Golden Knights, the trio combined for 16 shot attempts (Backlund had nine) and eight points, including Zary’s first career three-assist game in the NHL.

“I think all year, me and Colesy have been pretty solid,” Backlund said. “You know, trying to do the job defence-first and checking, but also chipping in with some goals at 5-on-5.

“Having Zar on the line too, it's that dimension of having that poise with the puck and making plays. So it's been good.”

Since taking the reins as Head Coach, Huska has relied on the Backlund line to try and shut down top opposing players. It’s safe to suggest that trend will continue tonight against Connor McDavid and the Oilers.

But it’s these games - where the entire province is divided into red and blue factions - that stand out as special for the Calgary Captain.

Even when he’s got more than 1,100 NHL memories tucked away under his belt.

“It's always a special game playing Edmonton, in the Battle of Alberta,” he said. “You’ve got to control emotions, it’s going to be energized game.

“They're playing well, last game before Christmas, it’s going to be a special environment up there.”

2. Know Your Enemy

With their win over the Golden Knights Sunday, the Oilers (18-13-6) moved into a second-place tie in the Pacific Division with Vegas. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a pair of goals, and both he and Connor McDavid finished the tilt with three points as the Oilers raced out to a 4-0 lead, then held on to win 4-3.

Connor Ingram made 26 saves in his Oilers debut between the pipes - his first NHL game since February - while Zach Hyman's second-period tally stood up as the decider.

"It’s been hectic, but at the end of the day, no matter what level you’re in, my job is just to stop the puck,” Ingram told reporters post-game. "I don’t have to learn a forecheck or things like that. My job never changes. Guys did a great job making me feel welcome and showing me everything I need to know.

"There’s a lot of days I didn’t think it would ever happen again. It’s just the truth of it in this world. It’s a competitive game. There are 64 spots in the world to do this, so you don’t take it for granted any day that you’re up here. It’s a huge honour."

Indeed, Ingram has been pressed into duty after newly-acquired Tristan Jarry suffered a knock during Edmonton's recent road trip. The former Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy winner had been playing at AHL Bakersfield after being acquired via trade from Utah Oct. 1.

McDavid is red-hot (more on him below), and running mate Leon Draisaitl celebrated his 1,000th NHL point last week - ironically, it came against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and recently-dealt netminder Stuart Skinner.

The Oilers went 2-3 on the powerplay Sunday against Vegas, and come into tonight's game with the NHL's best man-advantage, clicking at a cool 33.3%.

3. Fast Facts

2025-26 Season Series

Tonight's game is the second of four regular season meetings between the Flames and Oilers, and the first of two set for this week; Calgary will host Edmonton Saturday at 8 p.m. MT at the Scotiabank Saddledome in the return engagement of the home-and-home set. GET TICKETS

Last time out in the Battle of Alberta, the Oilers jumped out to a 3-0 lead, before goals from Matvei Gridin, Connor Zary and Blake Coleman helped the Flames force overtime. In the eighth shootout round, Nazem Kadri sealed it for the visitors, who left Rogers Place with a 4-3 victory.

Did You Know?

The Flames erased a 3-0 deficit in their first meeting with Edmonton to come back and win, marking just the second time they have recorded a three-goal comeback victory in the Battle of Alberta. The other came on Mar. 26, 2011 in a 5-4 shootout victory.

The shootout in this season's opener lasted eight-rounds, marking the longest shootout in NHL history for a season-opening game.

4. Sweater Weather

Do not adjust your screens.

Yes, indeed, the Flames will be wearing their home red uniforms at Rogers Place this evening, while the Oilers trot out their off-white alternate kits.

It's the first time this season - this being Calgary's 21st regular-season game away from home - that the Flames will not be wearing their familiar road whites in an opposing building.

And that means plenty of work for the team's equipment staff, led by Equipment Manager Mark DePasquale.

The crew had extra prep for this one-game trip, slapping on new Telus helmet decals on the team's red buckets, while also stitching together a set of Suncor away jersey patches on the set of 'road' reds the team will wear tonight.

It's safe to say the group will be looking the part, when it comes time to drop the puck tonight!

5. Players To Watch

Flames - Connor Zary

The Saskatoon product recorded a new personal best Saturday against Vegas with three assists, his first career three-point NHL game.

Zary comes into this evening's contest with four points over his last three games.

And he has happy memories of his last trip to Rogers Place, too, having scored in the season-opening 4-3 win at Edmonton.

Oilers - Connor McDavid

The NHL's scoring leader comes into tonight's contest on a 10-game point streak, and McDavid has tallied 20 times over his last 23 outings, a run dating back to Nov. 4.

He upped his season totals to 23 goals and 62 points Sunday night, recording a goal and two assists in Edmonton's 4-3 win over Vegas.

And he's shooting the puck a lot, too. McDavid has recorded five or more shots on goal in three of his last four games.