5 Things - Flames vs. Oilers

1. Finishing Strong

The emptiness the players feel – their fate, sealed – would take the breath out of most anyone.

MacKenzie Weegar, though, is the pragmatic type.

“We're going to build a great culture here the last (seven) games and we'll bring that into next year with a great environment – a strong culture and a great identity,” the blueliner said following a 5-2 loss on Thursday in Winnipeg, officially eliminating them from playoff contention.

Admittedly, “it sucks,” Weegar added.

“Everybody wants to chase the Cup, that's what it's about. Some teams are ramping it up right now to go on a big playoff run and some teams are looking out, which is disappointing.”

Still, in the National Hockey League, there are always things to play for.

For Weegar – who’s been one of the bright spots of a tough season, evolving not only on the ice, but in the locker-room has one of the team’s prominent voices – it’s now about setting the standard for next year and beyond.

“That's what it's all about,” he said. “It's only us in here. It's been a tough season with ups and downs, and outside noise and whatever. For us, it's about playing as a team and together. We've got a great room in here – a great leader, it starts with Backs – and we'll definitely play for each other this last stretch.”

With Thursday’s performance, which was a proper bounce-back effort after a disappointing one 48 hours earlier, the 30-year-old can already see the future ripening in real time.

The team’s top goaltending prospect, Dustin Wolf, has arrived as advertised and put forth another impressive outing in the Manitoba capital Thursday, finishing with a career-high 41 stops to give his team a puncher’s chance against an elite club poised for a run at Lord Stanley.

“He's a special goaltender,” Weegar said. "He battles hard. He's a competitor, a confident kid. They brought it to him tonight and he stood tall for us. It's too bad we couldn't get that victory for him tonight, because he played a really strong game.”

The Flames have seven games left in the season, including three at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

They’re 1-2-0 against the Oilers this year and are coming off a 6-3 triumph in their last meeting, Feb. 24, at Rogers Place.

2. Know Your Enemy

The Oilers were in action last night, punching their ticket to the postseason with a 6-2 win over the powerhouse Colorado Avalanche.

Connor McDavid and Evander Kane had two goals apiece - the latter, snapping a career-long 22-game goal drought - while Corey Perry and Mattias Ekholm added singles. Leon Draisaitl, meanwhile, recorded a pair of helpers including the 500th of his career, giving the German his with his fifth 100-point campaign in the process.

Stuart Skinner made 21 saves as the Oilers improved to 46-24-5, strengthening their grip on second place in the Pacific Division.

"Much need (bounce-back from a 5-0 loss Wednesday in Dallas)," Draisaitl told reporters. "(That wasn't) the team that we are or want to show on a daily basis. But that being said, these games happen. Eighty-two is a lot of games and you're going to have a couple of those throughout the year. The most important thing is how you respond and that's something over the last couple years - including the playoffs - is something this team does really, really well, is respond to poor efforts or bad games.

"Very simple. I thought throughout the entire lineup, a really good game."

While a first-round matchup with the defending Cup champ Vegas Golden Knights appears likely, the Oilers are now only five points back of the Vancouver Canucks for top spot in the division, with one game at hand.

3. Fast Facts

Injury Updates

Andrew Mangiapane (undisclosed, day-to-day) will miss his fifth-straight game tonight and Joel Hanley (undisclosed, day-to-day) will miss his second straight.

200 And Counting

With a goal and an assist on Thursday, Weegar now has 200 points in his NHL career (50G, 150A). In doing so, he's become just the ninth defenceman drafted in the seventh round to reach 200 points in NHL history, and the only one to do so with less than 500 games played over their career (462).

A Battle By The Numbers

This will be the 263rd installment of the Battle of Alberta, with the Flames holding a 130-108-24 record over their provincial rivals. One hundred of those games have been one-goal games or ties (82 wins, 18 ties) with Calgary owning 45 of the 82 wins. Jarome Iginla is the Flames' all-time goals leader against the Oilers with 34 tallies, while Al MacInnis sets the mark for points with 89 in 75 games against Edmonton during his time in Calgary.

No One More Deserving

Oliver Kylington has been nominated for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy by the Calgary chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA). The annual award goes to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy was first presented by the NHL Writers Association in 1968 to commemorate the late William Masterton, a player for the Minnesota North Stars who exhibited, to a high degree, the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Masterton died on Jan. 15, 1968 after an injury sustained during a hockey game. Two Flames have won the trophy, Lanny McDonald in 1983 and Gary Roberts in 1996.

CalgaryFlames.com's Chris Wahl caught up with Oliver's cousin, Sirak Tekeste, to talk about the blueliner's road back to the sport he loves. Click here to read.

4. Players To Watch

Flames - MacKenzie Weegar

When the numbers are final and become penned in the franchise record books later this month, Weegar could be the answer to a fun piece of trivia.

When was the last time an NHL defenceman had 20 goals and 200 blocked shots in the same season?!

With 19 tucks to his name already – second-most on the circuit, and more than double his previous high-water mark of eight – along with 189 blocked shots, it’s virtually certain now.

The Ottawa native has taken his game to another level this season, but with the increase in both minutes and responsibility in the wake of the Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev trades, his handiwork of late has been short of... immaculate.

And in doing so, he's played a key role in setting the standard for what means to a pro in the Flames locker-room.

“Both,” Head Coach Ryan Huska said, when asked him of the two stats would impress him more. “Everything about his play over the last little while has been awesome. He's one of our guys that I feel like has, one, figured out how to enjoy himself while he's playing the game, and yet, he's found a way to raise his competitive level to something I haven't seen since he's been here.

“So, you can tell when you look at him that he's pleased with where his game's at – and when you watch him play, he's doing all the things that we ask of him to do right now. He's been real important for us this year. And I still think his game is going to continue to grow. Whether it's the goal-scoring or his willingness to be a really good team player with all the shot blocks that he’s had, that stuff matters. Whether we're out of it or in it, there should never be a change in how you play the game and he's been great example of that.”

Weegar’s 189 blocked shots rank sixth, while St. Louis Blues defender Colton Parayko leads all with a chart-topping 200, as of Friday.

It won't be long, now, before Weegar eclipses that mark, too.

On the offensive side, no other skater in the NHL this season has more goals than his 19 while dishing out 100 or more hits (179) and 100 or more blocked shots.

Oilers - Connor McDavid

McDavid scored his 30th and 31st goals of the season last night against the Avs, giving the Edmonton captain his eighth-consecutive 30-goal season.

He already has a career-high 97 assists and could become the first player since Wayne Gretzky (1990-91) and fourth all-time to record 100 apples in a single season.

Gretzky did it 11 times, while Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr each did it once.

McDavid is the NHL's leading scorer dating back to Nov. 10, recording 118 points (29G, 89A) in that span. He currently trails Nikita Kucherov by five points for the overall scoring lead, but has two games in hand and nine left in the season to make a charge.

5. Quotable

Daniil Miromanov on the opportunity he’s getting late in the season:

“It's a blessing. I'm grateful for it every single day. This is what I dreamed for, I worked for all my life. I'm just really excited and grateful for all the guys, the staff and the coaching staff, and I just have to do my best every single shift. That's my mentality. When I jump on the ice, I throw my stick and I say to myself, 'This is the first shift. This is Shift 1.' Doesn't matter how many minutes I played or what I did - for me, every shift is Shift No. 1, it's the beginning of the game and I've got to do my very best. That's the mentality. I can't take a shift off, I can't take a period off, I can't take a game off. It's just work, work, work. I know if I have that mentality, great things will come.”

On playing in his first-ever Battle of Alberta:

“I'm excited. Hockey in Canada is different hockey. It's really excited. I experienced that a little bit against Montreal at home, and it was a great atmosphere, a great game. I think it's going to be a great game, a great battle, so I'm excited for it.”