SAY WHAT: 'JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED'

GEOFF WARD ON CREATING ENERGY:

ON DEREK RYAN'S INJURY:

"He sustained a fracture and now it's a matter of having that fracture heal. We'll see exactly how that plays out, but that's the prognosis on him."

ON RECALLING BYRON FROESE:

Byron's a smart player. He can do an awful lot of good things. He's got NHL experience, he's good on faceoffs, can kill penalties - a lot of things he can bring to the table. We feel he's going to step in and contribute, and we feel he'll play well there."

ON FACING THE OILERS:

"It may be exactly what the doctor ordered. … It's funny the way the ups and downs go in games and in seasons. Everybody's going to have ups and downs. The year we won the Stanley Cup (with Boston in 2011), I think we started the year 3-7. The biggest thing is that we're getting better as a team. I think there have been large areas of play that we've been happy with, and other stretches that we haven't been happy with. You've got to makes sure that you match the intensity level and the work ethic of the other team and you've got to surpass that. That antes you into the hockey game and then it's about executing."

TKACHUK ON LAST MEETING VS. OILERS:

"Personally, I'm still not happy about what happened the last time we faced these guys. They came into our rink and took it to us pretty good. That's in the back of our minds and we want to come out here tonight and set the tone for this season."

ON INTENSITY OF BATTLE OF ALBERTA:

"These are some of the best ones for me. If you can't get up for these games, there's something wrong. Our whole team is so ready for this one. … You have two huge rivals; not just the teams on the ice, but the fans, the people in their cities. You see the passion from the fanbase, from the media, from the players. Once you play each other again, the electricity in the city when you play each other, especially on a Saturday night? Oh man. I think the hatred is definitely there."

MILAN LUCIC ON HOCKEY'S GREATEST RIVALRY:

"You're excited for the rivalry, excited for the matchup, excited for what the Battle of Alberta stands for. Being on both sides, it means a lot and it's very similar. I like to think that I've been fortunate enough to be on both sides of a great rivalry like this, and it's nice it gets re-started in the season here tonight."