EDMONTON, AB - The stage for tonight's highly-anticipated Battle of Alberta was set three weeks ago.
The Flames defeated the Oilers 4-2 at the Scotiabank Saddledome on November 17, scoring three third-period goals in a game packed with plenty of provincial animosities that have carried over to tonight's game featuring two of the Pacific Division's in-form teams.
"This is why you play hockey - for these rivalries," Oilers goaltender Mikko Koskinen said pre-game. "It feels a little like a playoff game and those are the best in hockey."
The Flames sit atop the Pacific at 19-9-2, winning nine of their last 11 games while the Oilers have improved to 6-2-1 and won four-straight home games under Head Coach Ken Hitchcock.
"They're obviously rolling, first in the west, and they want to keep things rolling," Oilers forward Milan Lucic said. "For us we got things moving in the right way and we want to do the same. It makes for an exciting Sunday nighter and I'm pretty sure a good percentage of Alberta will be tuning in for this one."
In a matchup that's always tightly contested, the team that can manage themselves on the ice and in their own heads gives themselves the better opportunity to prevail.
It can be a tough thing to balance.
"The bottom line is that if you want to win the hockey game, you have to take your game as close to the edge as you can and not fall off," Hitchcock said.
MANAGING EMOTIONS
Fans love it, but coaches despise it.
When emotions run wild and animosity takes over, it can take away from the on-ice performance that Hitchcock is keen to maintain for the duration of tonight's Battle of Alberta for the Oilers.
"We want to play hard and the way we've played the last while, but we are not going to win if we're distracted," he said. "Because frustration can lead to loss of energy, and we're going to need every piece of energy we have if we're expecting to win."
Lucic, who was one of the central players involved in the mayhem last month against Calgary, noted that the intensity is rooted in the rivalry. But to be successful against a streaking team in the Flames, emotions need to be tempered in order to limit their opponents' opportunities with the man-advantage that's ranked 11th in the NHL.
"I think it just comes naturally within the rivalry that you can get over-excited and over-emotional at times trying not to let it get the best of you," he said. "If you look at the last time we played them we probably spent too much time in the box retaliating and stuff like that. We're focused on playing a good complete game here and earning the two points because of where we are in the standings."
Tonight's game arrives in Edmonton with both teams stringing together positive performances recently and keen to further cement themselves among the Pacific Division contenders.
