EDMONTON, AB - The Edmonton Oilers (23-21-3) host the Western Conference-leading Calgary Flames (31-13-5) for the third round of the Battle of Alberta at Rogers Place. The season series is currently tied 1-1 between the two clubs with the home team taking each of the prior two contests.
The Flames come into tonight 9-1-2 in their last 12 contests, outscoring their opponents 55-38 during that stretch. A big reason for their offensive success has been Johnny Gaudreau, who is currently second in league scoring with 72 points (28G, 44A) in 49 games. Gaudreau is coming off a career-high 84 points (24G, 60A) in 2017-18 and is only three goals away from setting a new career high in goals.
"He's crafty," said Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse following the morning skate. "He's one of those guys that anytime you give him an inch, he finds a way to make a play. He and (Sean) Monahan work so well together and find each other in open spaces.
"It's going to be a tough challenge for everyone tonight."
Added Oilers Head Coach Ken Hitchcock on facing Gaudreau tonight: "He finds offense because he's patient where most people are nervous. He's not afraid to play in the middle of the rink. It's hard to defend because he's now using 85 feet and not 40 feet. He's very effective because of that.
"When you have small, skilled players that are willing to play inside the dots, that becomes dangerous to check. He kills you if you make a mistake off the rush with the plays he can make."
Along with Gaudreau, Calgary has been getting consistent point production throughout the lineup. The Flames have three other players in top-12 NHL scoring as Sean Monahan sits in 10th with 59 points while Matthew Tkachuk and Elias Lindholm both have 56 points and are tied for 12th.
"What makes Calgary good is that they're willing to work for their chances. They're not trying to skill their way into chances - they work. With the goals they score in the third period, they battle for space and battle for ice. They have the ability to finish and when you look at the games they come back and score goals, it's because they're willing to go in the hard areas and get the job done.
"They have competitive scoring people not just skilled players."
Calgary's 31 wins through 49 games are tied for the most in franchise history to begin a season - 22 of those wins have come as a result of the team scoring first (22-3-1). The Flames' 3.71 goals per game is ranked second in the NHL heading into tonight, while the Oilers are a perfect 5-0-0 against the Flames since Rogers Place opened for the 2016-17 season.
CARRYING MOMENTUM
With wins against the Buffalo Sabres (Monday) and Vancouver Canucks (Wednesday), the Oilers have back-to-back wins for the first time since Dec 11. Tonight presents an opportunity for the squad to carry momentum as they battle for critical points in the Western Conference Wild Card race.
"It's a big game. We have been able to win a couple in a row and getting a third would be nice," said Oilers centre Connor McDavid following morning skate. "You look at the Buffalo game, we just found a way to get a couple of bounces. In Vancouver, I thought we did a good job of playing a nice, tight game and we didn't give up too many great chances. When we did, we had a goalie to back us up - that's been a pretty good recipe.
"We're not a team that scores a lot of goals. We're not going to win 6-4 or 5-4, we're a team that needs to win 2-1, 3-2 and those types of games. When we play solid defensively, that's when we play our best."
