GAME STORY: Flames 4, Oilers 2

CALGARY, AB - It was a Battle of Alberta in its purest form on Saturday night in Calgary with the home team emerging from combat with a come-from-behind 4-2 victory.
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A seemingly endless barrage of post-whistle physicality resulted in a first period that lasted nearly an hour and saw the Oilers hold a 1-0 advantage through 20 minutes thanks to a shorthanded marker from Alex Chiasson.
The visitors extended their lead 2-0 in the middle frame on a goal from Connor McDavid, but as they're accustomed to doing, the Flames battled back and tied it up early in the final frame before adding the eventual game-winner as well.
"They did a very good job in the third period," Head Coach Todd McLellan said following the tough defeat. "They certainly took it to us, were the better team and deserved the win."
It was all Edmonton in the early stages as the visitors looked well-rested and composed having not played since Tuesday's 6-2 drubbing of the Montreal Canadiens.
With Leon Draisaitl in the penalty box for interference after he got tangled up with Matthew Tkachuk - remember that name - Chiasson and Zack Kassian emerged on a two-on-one shorthanded rush with Chiasson keeping the puck as he darted down the right side, cut to the net and tallied through David Rittich's five-hole for his seventh goal of the season.
Despite only playing in 13 of Edmonton's 19 games, Chiasson's hot hand had him ranked third on the team in goals with the odd-man marker in the first period.
Sam Bennett delivered a hard body-check on Darnell Nurse early in the game and the two squared off for a scrap just 40 seconds after Chiasson's goal.
The rough stuff continued to escalate at the mid-mark of the period when McDavid and Draisaitl got into respective grapples with Mikael Backlund and Tkachuk, respectively. The Oilers ended up the extra penalty, however, but achieved another successful kill to maintain their one-goal cushion.

The first period fisticuffs reached a boiling point with 12 seconds remaining as Kassian dropped the gloves with Tkachuk, leaving the teams exchanging verbal pleasantries between the benches before heading to their respective locker rooms for intermission.
Cooler heads prevailed to a certain extent in the middle frame, though there were a few more post-whistle dust-ups. The teams exchanged goals in the second period, from McDavid for Edmonton and Derek Ryan for Calgary, as the Oilers took a 2-1 lead into the third.
The visitors extended their lead to 2-0 at the 3:49 mark with the Oilers on a shortened power play thanks to a Backlund high-sticking double-minor negating Kassian's carry-over minors from the opening frame. It was a trademark Draisaitl to McDavid connection as the dynamic duo burst in on a two-on-one, with the captain hammering home a one-timer for his 11th of the season.
Rittich kept the Flames in it with breakaway save after breakaway save, stopping Draisaitl twice in alone before stoning Khaira as well as Edmonton outshot Calgary 21-19 through 40 minutes.
The goalie holding the fort spurred the home team on as they were finally able to solve Oilers puck-stopper Mikko Koskinen at the 16:23 mark when Ryan whacked home a loose puck with a backhand for his second of the season.

"They definitely got some energy from that, got a chance to regroup and came after us in the third," McLellan said of Calgary's first goal.
The Flames kept coming in the third period and notched the equalizer at the 2:40 mark when Sean Monahan buried a rebound after the Oilers were unable to clear the puck from their defensive zone.
Elias Lindholm put the home team ahead at the 9:10 mark when he chipped a rebound over Koskinen's pad for his team-leading 10th tally of the season.
Edmonton pulled Koskinen in favour of the extra attacker with 1:37 remaining but Lindholm deposited his second of the game and 11th of the year into the empty net to make it a 4-2 final.
"They're a really good comeback team and we knew that," said Adam Larsson, who logged 22:04 TOI and had an assist. "It's just those little things we didn't do in the third that you have to do to win."
Next up, the Oilers have the quickest turnaround allowable in the NHL with another Pacific Division opponent on the docket back at Rogers Place on Sunday as the Vegas Golden Knights come to town.