FEATURE: Alberta animosity

EDMONTON, AB ­­- With the spoils shared at the midway point in this season's Battle of Alberta, the scouting report is out on both the Oilers and Calgary Flames.
Tensions are reaching critical levels.
The Flames used a third-period surge to sink the Oilers in their first duel of the season at the Scotiabank Saddledome back in November before the Blue and Orange earned revenge in a 1-0 blanking at Rogers Place on December 7.
The results may be set in stone, but animosities linger ahead of Saturday's tilt between the Alberta adversaries.
"We can't play their game and they can't play our game," Oilers Head Coach Ken Hitchcock, citing the season split, said Friday. "If we play our game we're going to win, and if we play their game they're going to win. We have a certain way we play and it's very effective - we showed that in the 1-0 game - and they showed their flair in the game they beat us in Calgary."

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With the playoff race for both Alberta rivals at more than just a broil with three games remaining before the season's proverbial half-way mark of the All-Star Break, this is no time to let off.
"For me, whoever gets their game out there is going to win, but we're not afraid to play them," Hitchcock said. "I know they've had a heck of a year, but we're coming on. We'll see."
Fans around the province have embraced the extra layer of animosity in the rivalry with the Flames flying high atop the Pacific Division and the Oilers firmly in the race for the postseason.
"It's great to see two competitive teams going at it," Milan Lucic, who dropped the gloves with Anthony Peluso last time out against the Flames, said. "They're obviously in a comfortable playoff spot and we're fighting for one, so it's good to see the Battle of Alberta have lots of meaning. I think I speak for the fans as well that they enjoy watching it."
That Lucic tilt with Peluso set the tone early back in December, while Matthew Tkachuk played more than his part getting under the skin of the Oilers in the reverse fixture in Calgary.
"You just don't want to give any motivation," Lucic said. "You don't want to add any fuel to the fire. There's more than a handful of guys that we dislike over there, and I'm pretty sure they say the same thing about our guys. The first two games have been really emotional, so expect the same tomorrow night."
Zack Kassian was another player in the thick of things, and one who's always doing his best to walk a fine line in the heated rivalry.
"[Tkachuk] is a good player and one of the better ones on their team. I don't like some of the stuff he does at times, but that's the way hockey is. I'm sure guys don't like what I do sometimes out there either," he said.

"It's in the nature of hockey to not like other people and other teams, that's just the way it is, especially when you're in the Battle of Alberta."
When Hitchcock was asked if previous performances have proved the Oilers are contenders against the league's best, he said it's 'wait and see' as expectations and emotions need to be tempered.
"I'll tell you that at about 10:30 tomorrow night," The Oilers bench boss said. "Our game is getting better because we're understanding the lines on the ice and how critical those lines on the ice are. We're understanding what our game is, and our game is checking and controlling tempo.
"We have a couple of players that play outside the box and they've got the freedom to do that and they've got a flashing green light. Everybody else has to stay inside the box and when they do, we're very effective."