GAME STORY: Oilers 1, Flames 0

EDMONTON, AB - Consider the honours split at the halfway point in this season's Battle of Alberta.

YOUR GAME-DAY ESSENTIALS

GAME DAY
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Box Score
Look back at the In-Game Blog
POST-GAME VIDEO
Full Highlights
OILERS TODAY | Post-Game vs. CGY
POST-GAME RAW | Lucic
POST-GAME RAW | McDavid
POST-GAME RAW | Chiasson
POST-GAME RAW | Oilers Head Coach Ken Hitchcock
THE OTHER SIDE | Flames Head Coach Bill Peters

WHAT'S NEXT
The Oilers are in Denver on Tuesday to take on the Colorado Avalanche. The game can be seen on Sportsnet West and heard on the Oilers Radio Network, including 630 CHED. Puck drop is 7:08 p.m. MST.
POST-GAME UPDATES
Inside The Oilers Blog
Mikko Koskinen made 24 saves for his third shutout of the season, and Connor McDavid provided the lone goal in the first period as the Oilers downed the Calgary Flames 1-0 at Rogers Place on Sunday night.
The Finnish netminder improves to 6-0-0 at home and helps stretch the Oilers win streak to five at Rogers Place. Calgary's win streak is halted at five with the defeat.
The Flames had won nine of their last 11 coming into tonight's game, outscoring opponents 49-23 in that span before tonight's blank.
"I think we've done a good job sticking with it," forward Milan Lucic, who dropped the gloves in a tilt with Anthony Peluso during the opening frame, said post-game. "Last time we played them we let the game get away from us against the best third-period team in the league, and today we were able to stick with it for 60 minutes.
"Mikko made some big saves, and all we needed was one tonight."
The Oilers improve to 11-1-2 in one-goal games and 7-2-1 in the Ken Hitchcock era.
"We kept our emotions in check, played a hard game, and didn't cross the line," McDavid said. "It's a one-goal league, you have to find a way to win these tight games, and we've been doing a good job ending up on the right side of the score."
The Oilers top line linked up 12:18 into the opening frame for the night's opening goal when Chiasson connected with McDavid for the Oilers captain to one-time home his 16th goal of the season past David Rittich. The tally was McDavid's 11th goal and 17th point in 11 games against the Pacific rivals.

Then, the gloves were off.
Lucic flattened Travis Hamonic, and Anthony Peluso took exception by gripping the Oilers forward and dropping the mitts. Peluso would take two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct and plenty of fists from Lucic in the altercation.
"I think he's played great since the day I came here, and that line has been terrific," Oilers Head Coach Ken Hitchcock said of Lucic, Brodziak and Kassian. "They played a big part of the second half against Gaudreau and did a good job. They do it in a different way, they forecheck and it's just a good line. I think eventually they're going to start chipping in and scoring."

The Oilers failed to beat the glove hand of Rittich twice on two breakaways two minutes apart early in the second period from Nugent-Hopkins and Draisaitl. In the two teams' last tilt back on November 17, the Oilers were 0-for-3 on breakaways in the middle frame.
Nugent-Hopkins was sprung on a breakaway and went to the backhand but was denied by the glove of Rittich. Draisaitl was in alone two minutes later, but the rebound off the boards from his wayward wrist shot was once again denied by the mitt of the Flames keeper.
Calgary looked to have equalized when Alan Quine's point shot made it through traffic and past Koskinen, but an appeal by the Oilers bench for goaltender interference overturned the call after was deemed to have interfered with the netminder.
Koskinen was up to the task at the other end of the ice, stopping Derek Ryan and Sam Bennett twice in quick succession from close range in the final minute of the second to keep the Oilers ahead.
"That's the strength of our team - our two goalies," Hitchcock said after Talbot secured two wins in the Oilers previous two games before Koskinen returned between the pipes and posted tonight's shutout.
"Both guys are so competitive, and when they're playing as good as they are now they're so sound. They give us a chance every night even if we get outplayed."

The Oilers held a 1-0 lead on the scoreboard and 22-20 on the shot clock through 40 minutes.
Tensions were building from the offset of the third period, with Koskinen making another save before Bennett toppled him in the crease and earned himself a goaltender interference penalty. Rattie took a check to the head from Prout nearly three minutes later, but the Oilers on the night would go 0-for-5 on the power play.
McDavid then nearly put the bed to rest from the slot, striking the crossbar with less than five minutes remaining.
The Oilers would stamp out a late push by the visitors to improve to 16-12-2 on the season.
The Oilers hit the road for a two-game swing through Colorado and Winnipeg on Monday before hosting the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday at Rogers Place.