CALGARY, AB - The Battle of Alberta is a game the Oilers and Calgary Flames get up for, no matter the circumstances.
After they both made the Stanley Cup Playoffs one season ago, the Alberta squads will be on the outside looking in this year. However, with their fifth and final showdown of the season on the docket tonight, provincial bragging rights heading into the off-season are up for grabs.
"Both teams tend to get up and the palms get a little more sweaty when you're playing against your rival," said Head Coach Todd McLellan. "I'm sure tonight will be no different. It's unfortunate that neither of the teams are getting to where they want to go, but there's still games to be played and they're both proud teams with proud players. I'm sure we'll get a good effort from both teams."
"There's always a little bit more on the line when these two teams play," added Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who's currently on a six-game point streak with a whopping seven goals and seven assists in that span. "They're our provincial rival. The fans get into it and the players get into it. It's usually a fun one."
The Oilers were victorious in the first three Battle of Alberta matchups this season, opening the campaign with a 3-0 win at home on Oct. 4, following that up with a wild 7-5 decision in Calgary on Dec. 2 and securing a 4-3 shootout decision back at Rogers Place on Jan. 25.
Edmonton took a seven-game winning streak against the Flames into their March 13 matchup at the Saddledome, but Calgary finally managed to take one from them, edging out a slim 1-0 decision on the strength of a lone goal from Johnny Gaudreau and 28 saves from Mike Smith.
"It was a good, solid defensive game for both sides, but they capitalized on the chances they got and we didn't," said Oilers blueliner Darnell Nurse. "It's going to be big for us to come out and play a strong game for a full 60 minutes against a team that's highly competitive every time we play."
The Oilers sit six points back of the Flames in the Western Conference standings and could conceivably catch them as both teams have four games remaining heading into tonight's matchup.
LINEUP NOTES
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (lower body), Darnell Nurse (illness) and Matt Benning (upper body) were all absent from Oilers practice on Friday. However, both Nurse and Nugent-Hopkins participated in Saturday's morning skate.
Nurse, who dealt with his sickness during Thursday's game in Vancouver, is recovered and ready to play, though Benning is ruled out and Nugent-Hopkins is listed as questionable and will be a game-time decision.
Cam Talbot will start between the pipes for the Oilers after turning aside 28 of 30 shots in the 2-1 loss to the Canucks on Thursday. Talbot made 31 saves against the Flames during the 1-0 defeat back in March.
Gaudreau is expected to rejoin the Flames lineup after missing the last two games to deal with a family matter. St. Albert native Spencer Foo is set to make his NHL debut on a line with Gaudreau and Nick Shore.
- Ryan Frankson, EdmontonOilers.com
