Internally between teammates, walking the balance between comradery and competition is a reality in hockey that comes with the job.
"I think everyone knows how it is in the NHL," Markus Granlund, who will play his first game tonight since being sidelined with a groin injury suffered on September 19, said. "You're still trying to be a teammate, but you're still trying to fight for a spot. I think everyone knows how it is."
For other established veterans on the roster like Darnell Nurse, the final pre-season game is a chance for them to play as close as they can to perfection and prove to themselves, and the coaching staff, that they can put new concepts into place against a close rival.
"Every time you get to the last pre-season game, obviously it's the last opportunity to kind of fine tune the game and be as close to perfect as possible," Nurse said. "We've talked about it throughout Camp - the start in each and every game is so important, so this last game is a big tune-up. You work on the things over Camp, whether it's systems wise or personal, to get to a point where you're feeling good about yourself going into the season.
"This is the final chance to do it."
PRE-HEATING THE BATTLE
Tonight's second Battle of Alberta of the pre-season for the Oilers will be their final introductory look at a provincial rival they'll see five times in the regular season before waiting almost three months to the day for their first meaningful clash against one another on December 27.
It'll also be their first look at former teammates Milan Lucic, Tobias Rieder and Cam Talbot in opposing colours, with the former being a key piece in a trade that brought forward James Neal to Edmonton back in July.
"We loved having him as a teammate," Nurse said of Lucic. "He's a great guy and I still talked to him over the course of the summer. But you put on different jerseys and you become opponents, and when you get on the ice for that 60 minutes, you're enemies."
Lucic's inclusion in the lineup, along with Matthew Tkachuk making his pre-season debut, hints towards a physical test that the Oilers will be ready to meet head on as extra proof of they're readiness for the rigours of the regular season.
