The Flames are coming off a pivotal win, beating up on their provincial rivals Saturday at the Scotiabank Saddledome prior to leaving for this three-game eastern road swing.
Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm and Mark Giordano tallied during a four-goal second period, with Brett Ritchie adding one in the third period en route to a 5-0 victory over the Oilers.
Jacob Markstrom got the shutout, turning aside 17 shots as the Flames defence smothered the Oilers attack, blanked Edmonton's second-ranked powerplay on two chances, and contained the two-headed monster that is Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
"We're not in a spot we want to be, but tonight's a start and it gives us a chance to build," Monahan said. "We needed to win a game. Now we have a chance to build on that. We have to get ready here for our next one."
Gaudreau and Monahan - frequent partners in crime over the years - were put on different lines, No. 13 skating with Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk, and No. 23 centring Dillon Dube and Andrew Mangiapane.
The rejigged trios were effective at generating goals, something the Flames have struggled with of late. They were getting plenty of chances every outing, but failing to capitalize.
Also worth noting was a change on the blueline, with Giordano paired with Chris Tanev.
The hope is Saturday was a breakout for the team, as they emphatically flung the monkey off their back.
Since that win, the team dealt two of their regulars - Sam Bennett and David Rittich prior to Monday's trade deadline. Bennett went to the Panthers while Rittich landed with the Leafs, a team he's played extremely well against this season. There is a chance he may start tonight against his old team.
Flames GM Brad Treliving told media Monday that the trades were in the best interest of the club and they are still very much committed to chasing down a playoff spot.
"From a media perspective, you want to define it easily as buying or selling," Treliving said. "Obviously, when you're in a real good playoff spot, you usually aren't taking anything off your roster. When you're not in a good playoff spot, you more than not looking to see the value of expiring contracts and whether there's interest, or what the market will bear.
"The other piece, is I think I was on both sides. We looked at acquiring players here today - certainly not necessarily from a rental basis or expiring-contract basis, but if there were things that could help us now, and if there were things with term moving forward, certainly we explored all avenues.
"I had a hand in both pools today.
"This is what transpired."
