Lindholm stoked to fuel Flames' Battle of Alberta rivalry with Oilers

CALGARY -- Elias Lindholm had never before seen anything like the Battle of Alberta.

The Calgary Flames center wants more.
Lindholm scored two goals, including the game-winner at 9:10 of the third period, to help the Flames rally for a
4-2 win against the provincial rivals the Edmonton Oilers
at Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday.

For Lindholm, who was traded to the Flames by the Carolina Hurricanes with defenseman Noah Hanifin for defensemen Dougie Hamilton and Adam Fox and forward Micheal Ferland on June 23, the first game against the Oilers this season was an eye-opener.
"For (Carolina) we didn't have much of a rivalry there," said Lindholm. "Back home in Sweden, we had some tough games, but this was for sure a little different. Right from the start we were going after it, so it was fun to be a part of. I'm kind of looking forward to the next game."
The Flames (11-8-1) and Oilers (9-9-1) are positioned to be in the hunt for Pacific Division playoff spots, and the high-emotion first game between the teams this season points to the battle heating up when they play Dec. 9 and Jan. 19 in Edmonton and April 6 in Calgary in the final game of the regular season.
Lindholm leads the Flames in goals (11) and shares the lead in points (21) with linemate Sean Monahan and Matthew Tkachuk.
The 23-year-old from Boden, Sweden, has been a superb fit on his new team, playing regularly on the top line with Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau.
"For me, I think my role is more consistent here," said Lindholm, who played 23:02 against the Oilers, had four shots and was 12-3 on face-offs. "In Carolina, I got thrown around a lot, played on different lines all the time. We just mixed it up all the time and it's tough to find chemistry with a couple of guys. For now, I'm playing with [Monahan and Gaudreau] and it's been a pleasure for me. Two unbelievable players and I'm trying to enjoy it as much as possible.
"I knew I always had a lot of skill too and could put up a lot of points in this League. For now, it's been good so far but there's still a lot of room for improvement. Our line can be better and tonight we helped the team to win and get those goals late but overall I think we can be better."

Lindholm, the No. 5 pick of the 2013 NHL Draft, had his most productive NHL season in 2016-17 with 45 points (11 goals, 34 assists) for the Hurricanes. He's on track to exceed that this season.
"He's a high-end player, he has been his whole life and he's a versatile player, which is the best thing for me with him," said Calgary coach Bill Peters, who coached Lindholm in Carolina the past four seasons. "He's got right-handed shot value for a team that needed that. We thought we needed that in the summer. He takes face-offs, kills penalties, can play 4-on-4, plays on the power play. He touches the game in a lot of different areas.
"He's another guy, when it gets a little greasy, he likes it too. He grew up around it. His dad [Mikael] played in the NHL, he knows what it's all about. He's a gamer."
Lately, the Battle of Alberta hasn't quite been what it used to be. Its heyday was in the 1980s and 1990s when the Oilers won the Stanley Cup five times (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1990) and the Flames once (1989). The emotion involved Saturday was the best in years and points to intense times ahead this season.
"This is a legit rivalry," said Peters, coaching his first game in the rivalry. "You don't have to make it up."
Flames forward Sam Bennett said the rivalry was hard to explain to newcomers to the team this season like Lindholm, Hanifin, forwards Derek Ryan and James Neal.

"We were telling them that the matches get intense and it's a big rivalry and you don't really know how big it is until you start playing in it," Bennett said. "I'm sure they got a really good taste of it tonight."
Winning the first round of the Battle of Alberta this season could be the spark the Flames need to move higher in the Pacific Division standings, Bennett said.
"It's huge," he said. "You could just see the emotion in the game. So many guys played with so much emotion tonight and it's a great feeling after that hard of a battle to come out with a win."