GAME RECAP: Flames 3, Oilers 2

CALGARY, AB – Connor McDavid recorded a goal to extend his point streak to 12 games, but the Edmonton Oilers came up short in their second straight meeting with the Calgary Flames on Saturday night, falling to a 3-2 defeat in the Battle of Alberta rematch at Scotiabank Saddledome.

"Coming out of three days off, we wanted to have a little better start than we did," Evan Bouchard said. "But I thought as the game went on, we got better."

Bouchard's power-play goal in the first period tied less than two minutes after Yegor Sharangovich gave the Flames a 1-0 lead tied thingsup for the Oilers, but timely goals from Ryan Lomberg and Blake Coleman gave the Flames a two-goal lead that they managed to protect for the victory despite McDavid's 24th goal of the campaign that came with 4:32 left in regulation.

McDavid's goal extended the captain's point streak to 12 games, totalling 13 goals and 19 assists, while Leon Draisaitl was able to push his own point streak to six games (3G, 10A) with an assist on Bouchard's power-play marker in the opening frame.

Goaltender Connor Ingram played well in his third straight start, but was handed the loss after stopping 29 of 32 shots.

The Oilers will continue their two-game road trip against the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night.

FIRST PERIOD

Considering how the last meeting went between these two rivals, Calgary had to come prepared to respond, and in the opening 20 minutes they came out with a fast and energetic approach that put the Oilers behind at the seven-minute mark with an opening goal from Yegor Sharangovich.

The Flames turned up the temperature early after their 5-1 defeat in the first fixture earlier this week, with Ryan Lomberg chopping up a conversation with Darnell Nurse in warm-ups and Adam Klapka trying to make a statement with a few deep skates over the red line into Edmonton territory.

"I think their intensity was kind of up there today," said Andrew Mangiapane, a former member of the Flames. "I think it also falls on us that our start was a little slow and sluggish. It's a couple of days off, and all that you don't want to use as an excuse because they're going through the same thing. So I would have liked for us to have been a bit more engaged."

Calgary cracked the scoresheet first with the help of their fourth line, after Klapka won a puck battle down low and found Shrangovich coming into the slot for a bar-down snipe on Connor Ingram at the seven-minute mark of the first period.

Jack Roslovic drew a hooking penalty against Yan Kusnetzov only 13 seconds after the ensuing centre-ice faceoff, and the Oilers had the chance to respond using their League-best power play that came into this one scoring 10 goals over six straight games with a power-play marker.

Bouchard blasted home his seventh goal of the season over the glove of Dustin Wolf at 8:36 of the period, tying things up 1-1 with the man advantage that's now scored in seven straight games after converting just over a minute-and-a-half after the Flames took the lead on Sharangovich's seventh of the year.

"It's definitely clicking," Bouchard said. "I think it's hard when there are five guys that can make you pay. The guys up front make plays when you don't think there's a play to be made. I think at this point, we know where each other are going to be, and I think it's working for us."

Bouchard now has points in back-to-back games (1G, 2A) and has 36 points (7G, 29A), sitting third amongst NHL defencemen behind Cale Makar (43) and Zach Werenski (40). Leon Draisaitl picked up a helper with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and extended his point streak to six, totalling three goals and 10 assists.

McDavid had his best look at extending his own point streak to 12 games soon after on a breakaway, where Wolf needed to stop two rebounds inside the crease when the Oilers captain couldn't put it away on his forehand before getting blown up by Kevin Bahl for good measure.

Nazem Kadri almost did the same thing the other way by toe-dragging Alec Regula for a dangerous chance that saw Ingram come up with his biggest stop of the opening 20 minutes, keeping it scoreless before helping Edmonton's penalty kill off a five-on-four entering the intermission with the game tied 1-1.

SECOND PERIOD

After McDavid struck the crossbar in the first two minutes of the frame, Ryan Lomberg made the most of a turnover from Alec Regula in Edmonton's zone, stealing a pass and putting it top shelf on Ingram unassisted at 16:32 to give the Flames a 2-1 lead.

The Oilers had two back-to-back man advantages near the period's midway mark to try and leverage their red-hot power play into another equalizer, but could only generate two shots over the four minutes of five-on-four, falling to 1-for-3 on the night and trailing by a goal through 40 minutes in Calgary.

THIRD PERIOD

The Oilers gave it everything they had, but McDavid extending his point streak to 12 games with his 24th goal of the season in the final five minutes of regulation wouldn't be enough to keep the Flames from exacting some revenge in the Battle of Alberta on Saturday night.

"We did get off to a slow start. We had a push in the third period," Knoblauch said. "They were hanging on, and we just couldn't find that tying goal. Some goal posts and chances, but we weren't as sharp as we were before the break. And Connor Ingram had a good game and made some saves. We gave up a lot of odd-man rushes, which we haven't been doing. But we'll have to get back to work."

It didn't get easier for the Oilers after Blake Coleman made it a two-goal game with 7:31 left in the third period, finishing off a nice passing play with Mikael Backlund and Kevin Bahl on a three-on-two to give the Flames some breathing room.

McDavid was able to tuck in a loose puck in the crease under Wolf with 4:37 left in regulation, picking up his 24th goal of the campaign to push his point streak to 12 games and pull the Oilers within a goal to set up an opportunity for them to pull their goalie in the final few minutes.

On a power move from Klapka as the Flames pressed to end it late, Ingram somehow managed to pull the puck off the post before the Oilers went back the other way on a rush where Connor McDavid hit the crossbar – increasing the tally to four posts & crossbars hit by the Oilers on Saturday.

After a late chance on a redirection from Zach Hyman with the net empty, the Flames held on to their 4-3 win.

"It's a tight game, right? They usually are, especially the Battle of Alberta," Mangiapane said. "We hit a lot of crossbars, posts and all that, so a couple more inches the other way, maybe it goes in for us. A close game, but you want to come away with the win there."