5 THINGS - FLAMES VS. OILERS

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GAME DAY VIDEO
Game Day with Brendan Parker
Pre-Game Interviews
GAME DAY FEATURES
Tkachuk: 'So Ready For This One'
Projected Lineup
Say What - Pre-Game Talking Points
STAT PACK
Media Game Notes
Scoring Leaders
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Leading Scorers:
Flames:
Points - Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm (11)
Goals - Gaudreau (6)
Oilers:
Points - Connor McDavid (24)
Goals - McDavid (8)
Special Teams:
Flames:
PP - 22.7% (11th) / PK - 80.0% (15th)
Oilers:
PP - 27.3% (8th) / PK - 73.2% (25th)
Advanced Stats:
Flames:
Shot Attempts: 52.70% (8th)
High-Danger Chances: 50.93% (14th)
Oilers:
Shot Attempts: 47.66% (22nd)
High-Danger Chances: 51.69% (13th)

1. LAST TIME OUT

The Flames got the start they were looking for…
But not the finish.
The club wrapped up a five-game road trip with a 4-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday, and have now dropped two straight and three of their last four.
Andrew Mangiapane scored Calgary's lone goal at 19:04 of the first period off a great feed from Juuso Valimaki, while Jacob Markstrom made 23 saves and looked excellent all night, but the Flames were unable to maintain their one-goal advantage, wilting in the final two periods and delivering another "incomplete" effort.
"We've got to get better or we can stay bitter," said Head Coach Geoff Ward. "That's really our choice and it starts with us being harder. Right now, we're soft in a lot of areas of the hockey game. Let's start there. We've got to raise our compete level.
"When we got ourselves in trouble, the majority of time, they're winning the races and they're winning the battles. ... A lot of the goals that happened tonight were self-inflicted. We left Marky out to dry. There were mistakes by us that, really, we've got to get back being committed to playing to our identity. For portions of the road trip, that wasn't in place and teams took advantage of it."

2. READY FOR BATTLE

In need of a spark?
There's no better tonic.
The passion, the energy, the hatred that bubbled to the surface last year, with four incredible meetings in just over a month, culminating with a Feb. 1 line brawl and - yes - a goalie fight, should be enough to get the blood flowing.
The Battle of Alberta is back - and Saturday's tilt is the first of 10 that fans will be treated to this year.
Turn up the volume.
It's about to get wild.
"When I first came into the league, both teams weren't having too much success," said captain Mark Giordano. "It's changed a lot.
"In the last year and a half, there have been some pretty intense games. … It's the perfect setup for us tomorrow. We need a big game. We need an intense game from our group and when Edmonton comes to town, it definitely brings out that emotion in all of us."
Clearly.
Last year, the Flames took three of the four meetings with their Alberta counterparts, but the scoreboard was more of a sidebar to the action between the whistles.
Matthew Tkachuk did what he does best and drew the ire of the entire Edmonton fanbase with a couple of bigtime body-checks on Zack Kassian in the Jan. 11 encounter. Tkachuk - no stranger to the physical play - stood his ground, squared off and had a spirited tussle with the 6-foot-3 Oilers forward in the next meeting a few weeks later.
But things really popped off in what became the final regular-season showdown more than a year ago at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Oilers forward Sam Gagner took a late swipe at a puck that Flames puck-stopper Cam Talbot had smothered under his backside. An incensed Talbot sprung to his feet and delivered a series of his rights with the business end of his blocker and before long, it got crazy.
With Tkachuk and Ethan Bear throwing hands inside the blueline, Talbot and former Flame Mike Smith discarded their gear and chucked bombs at centre ice - recording the first-ever goalie fight in Battle of Alberta history.
"Both teams were relevant last year, so the rivalry was 'visible' again, for lack of a better word," said Head Coach Geoff Ward. "There were a lot of storylines around a couple of the games last year, for sure.
"Anytime that you play a rival, the emotional attachment to the game is there. Usually, you can take the standings and throw them away. It will be a fun game (Saturday). We're all looking forward to it and it should bring out the best in both teams."

3. THE OTHER SIDE

The Oilers have won three straight games and have pulled back to .500 (6-6-0) after a bit of a tough start to the season, where the offence didn't come easy.
Now? Connor McDavid and company are scoring at will, putting 16 goals up on the opposition in their past three outings, including an 8-5 torching of the Ottawa Senators on Sunday.
McDavid, who leads the NHL with 24 points (8G, 16A) this year, is on an eight-game point-scoring spree, including a five-point effort in that delirious drubbing of the Sens last week.
Leon Draisaitl is also on an impressive, eight-game run that includes a mammoth effort against Ottawa. The 25-year-old recorded six helpers that night - one shy of the team and NHL record set by Wayne Gretzky (x3) and Billy Taylor.
But as much as Edmonton's top gunners have impressed this year, the Oilers are beginning to get contributions from other sources as well.
Jesse Puljujarvi - the fourth pick in the 2016 Draft - is back with the club after spending two seasons developing in the Finnish Liiga. The 22-year-old has turned heads and appears to fit well on Edmonton's top line with McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
Puljujarvi had two goals, three shots, and 14:34 of ice time the other night to lead the Oilers to a 4-2 win over the Sens.
"I've been talking to him quite a bit, and he's such a good kid," Oilers Head Coach Dave Tippett said of winger's two-goal effort. "It's great to see him get on the board. He's one of our top guys - not just getting chances himself, but helping create chances for other people.
"You'd like to see him get rewarded for that work and tonight he got rewarded."
This is the first of a five-game road trip for the Oilers, who will travel east after tonight's game for a pair against Ottawa, before finishing the seven-day jaunt with a one-off against the Montreal Canadiens.

4. PLAYERS TO WATCH

Flames - Rasmus Andersson
Andersson, who
delivered some passionate comments
following Thursday's defeat, always gets up for these big games. When the chirps are flying and the temperature's hot, that's when he's at his best.
Oilers - Dominik Kahun
The 25-year-old got off to a slow start, but has goals in two of his last three games.

5. QUOTABLE

"I thought we got what we needed out of today. I liked the energy. I liked the fact that guys were vocal and having some fun out there; pucks were on the tape, they were crisp ... and that's all an indication of the building blocks to get ready for tomorrow. I thought the guys were on task today getting themselves ready to play (Saturday)."
- Geoff Ward on putting Thursday's loss behind them

AND ONE MORE THING...

Blasty's back!
The Flames will be debuting their new Reverse Retro kits on Saturday. Blasty will be worn a total of six times at the 'Dome this year - once each against every Canadian team: Feb. 17 (Canucks), March 4 (Senators), March 11 (Canadiens), March 26 (Jets), and April 5 (Maple Leafs).