CALGARY, AB - Following a brief two-game home stand, the Oilers have made the trip down Highway 2 to reignite the Battle of Alberta for the second time this season.
The two teams opened up their 2017-18 campaigns against each other on October 4, in Edmonton - a battle which saw Connor McDavid net a hat trick and Cam Talbot turn aside all 25 shots faced en route to a 3-0 Oilers victory.
Since their first meeting, the two teams have gone on to compile records that almost mirror each other, with the Flames sitting at 14-10-1 and the Oilers at 10-14-2. And despite the current disparity in records, the Oilers have managed to rattle of five-straight victories against their Alberta foes over the last two seasons - something both teams are aware of.
"You try not to look at those last five games. You have to get ready for this one. It will be a bigger test tonight with some of the offensive guys they have over there. Hopefully we can build off what we did last game," said Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau.
The Oilers have not played many divisional games of late so the importance of tonight's matchup is magnified as Edmonton looks to narrow the gap between the teams they are chasing in the Pacific Division.
"This is a massive game for us… (Divisional games) are the ones that are going to get you back in the fight. We need to find a way to get this one," said McDavid.
Calgary is coming off a 3-0 shutout victory over Arizona, and is looking to keep the momentum going. Equally motivated will be the Oilers, who battled back from two separate deficits in a high-flying affair vs. Toronto on Thursday but fell short in the dying minutes of the final frame.
A DIFFERENT VIEW
One Oiler who is more than well-versed in the Battle of Alberta will be getting his first look from the other side of it tonight. Mike Cammalleri played part of five seasons during two separate stints with Calgary. He's all too familiar with the long-standing rivalry and the contempt it breeds when the two teams square off.
"You definitely enjoy the intensity of any rivalry matchup and this is a special one," said Cammalleri, when asked about being on the Oilers side of the Battle of Alberta for the first time.
Cammalleri is on a rather short list of only 41 NHLers to ever lace up with both the Oilers and Flames throughout their careers.
Long-time Flames captain Mark Giordano also noted that it will be odd to see his former teammate and good friend Cammalleri across the ice in orange and blue for the first time, but is excited all the same.
"We're good friends so it's always fun to play against him. I'm looking forward to a couple good chirps from him as well," said Giordano.
SEIZING OPPORTUNITY
Despite the result of Thursday's game vs. Toronto, the Oilers were able to keep the game in striking distance early on due in large part to the play of Laurent Brossoit between the pipes in the second and third periods.
With Cam Talbot on the IR with an upper body injury for at least the next two weeks, Brossoit will be shouldering the load, and tonight will go up against the team who drafted him - the same one he earned his first NHL win against.
With the reigns being handed over for the time being, Brossoit's sights are set on capitalizing on the opportunity while he's got the chance.
"These are the kind of opportunities I look to take advantage of by stringing together a few good games in a row. It definitely makes it easier to make adjustments when you're (playing) day-by-day rather than week-by-week," said Brossoit.
LINEUP NOTES
The Oilers had an optional morning skate on Friday at the Saddledome.
With the placement of Adam Larsson on the IR, recently recalled defenceman Ryan Stanton was on hand for morning skate and could see his first action with the Oilers tonight.
Newly-acquired forward Nathan Walker has not yet joined the team since being claimed on waivers and will likely have to wait to make his orange and blue debut until next week.
-- Cait MacPhail, EdmontonOilers.com
