The Oilers visit the Scotiabank Saddledome for the first Battle of Alberta of the 2018-19 season.
You can watch the game on CBC and Sportsnet or listen live on the Oilers Radio Network, 630 CHED.
Read the game preview below with more to come, including our Morning Skate Report, videos and lineup updates.

YOUR GAME-DAY ESSENTIALS
GAME DAY VIDEO
OILERS TODAY | Pre-Game at CGY
PRE-GAME RAW | Patrick Russell
PRE-GAME RAW | McDavid
PRE-GAME RAW | Lucic
PRE-GAME RAW | Caggiula
PRE-GAME RAW | Coach McLellan
BY THE NUMBERS
Stats Comparison: Oilers vs. Flames
Media Game Notes: Oilers vs. Flames
2018-19 Oilers Player Statistics
2018-19 Flames Player Statistics
2018-19 Head-to-Head: Oilers vs. Flames
2018-19 NHL Standings
RECENT VIDEOS
PRACTICE | Russell Called Up
THE PANEL | Righting the Ship
RAW | McLellan 11.16.18
RECENT BLOGS & ARTICLES
BLOG: Spooner embracing Oilers excitement
BLOG: Old connections revived for Spooner
BLOG: Koskinen starts in Calgary
MORE INFORMATION
You can watch tonight's game across Canada on CBC and Sportsnet.
Injury Report
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UPDATES
Inside The Oilers Blog

INSIDE THE OILERS

News and notes from newly-acquired forward Ryan Spooner in our Inside the Oilers blog.
>> READ MORE IN THE INSIDE THE OILERS BLOG

PRE-GAME REPORT

CALGARY, AB - As a result of an illness, an injury and a trade, the Oilers will have a different look up front tonight in Calgary for their first Battle of Alberta of the season.
Ryan Spooner was acquired from the New York Rangers Friday in exchange for Ryan Strome. The forward flew from the Big Apple to Cowtown this morning and is expected to make his Oilers debut playing on the left side with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Ty Rattie.
Kyle Brodziak is sick and will not play, while Tobias Rieder suffered an upper-body injury on Tuesday vs. Montreal and is expected to be out of the lineup for about a month.
Those maladies pave the way for Patrick Russell to make his NHL debut after getting called up from AHL Bakersfield on Thursday, while fellow Condors call-up Cooper Marody is slated to suit up for his third game with the Orange & Blue.
The Oilers are looking to make it back-to-back wins against Canadian clubs, following up on their 6-2 victory over Montreal. That same Habs squad rebounded with a 3-2 win over the Flames on Thursday, setting up tonight's Edmonton-Calgary matchup at Scotiabank Saddledome.
"It was really important," Oilers captain Connor McDavid said of snapping their four-game losing skid. "You don't want those streaks to carry on for too long. We let it go on for four games, which is too long, but we found a way to get a big win, had a couple days off and we're looking forward to going tonight."
The Oilers will play seven of their next eight games against Pacific opponents, with an opportunity to claim some important divisional leverage.
"This is big, our first taste of the Pacific," McDavid said. "These are big points and games we can't let slip by."
THE SCOOP ON SPOONER
Spooner brings a solid supporting role résumé to the Oilers with 289 career games played. He was drafted 45th-overall by the Peter Chiarelli-managed Boston Bruins in 2010 and spent parts of six seasons with the New England squad before getting dealt to the Rangers last February.
Spooner scored four goals and 12 assists in 20 games with New York to close out the 2017-18 campaign and had a goal and an assist in 16 games to start the current season prior to yesterday's trade to Edmonton. Overall, the 26-year-old has scored 46 goals and 114 assists in his 289 career games.
Head Coach Todd McLellan said the team is getting a cerebral player who can contribute on the PP, bring some speed and put up points when playing with confidence.
"We're excited about having him," the bench boss said. "He's looking for a fresh start… Ryan has shown that he's got a very good hockey IQ, an offensive IQ, a guy that can run a power play on the half-wall. He's got some quickness to his game. In the past, he's had a high level of confidence and when he's played that way, he's been able to produce points. We hope to get him back to that."
Veteran winger Milan Lucic was teammates with Spooner in Boston and is looking forward to their reunion in Oil Country.
"It's new motivation, new excitement for him, so hopefully he can find his offensive game here once again," Lucic said. "A good thing for him is he gets to come right into the Battle of Alberta and see what the west has to offer right off the get-go."
THE GREAT DANE
Russell has had quite the hockey journey leading him to his much-anticipated NHL debut tonight in Calgary. The 25-year-old is from Birkerod, Denmark and played in his home country before making the jump to the Swedish junior ranks in 2009-10. Russell played four seasons in Sweden before playing the 2013-14 campaign with the USHL's Waterloo Black Hawks.
His 49 points in 55 games with Waterloo earned him a scholarship to St. Cloud State University, and after two strong NCAA seasons, the Oilers inked him to an entry-level contract in May 2016. Russell played two full AHL seasons with the Condors and had four goals with five assists in 11 games to start 2018-19 before getting the call every hockey player dreams of getting.
"It's exciting, it's a childhood dream coming true," Russell said, beaming from ear to ear. "It's just so nice and so good to be here."
After he shakes off the inevitable first-game nerves, the right-winger said he looks to use his sizeable 6-foot-1, 203-pound frame to his advantage.
"I hope I can contribute with some physical plays, some smart plays and pay attention to the small details," said Russell, who has done his research on the Battle of Alberta folklore. "I've watched a couple games in the past and I know exactly what it is. I don't think I could have gotten a better game for my first game."
LINEUP NOTES
Three of the Oilers forward lines will have a new look tonight vs. Calgary, but the top line is expected to stay the same with McDavid between Leon Draisaitl and Drake Caggiula. Those three combined for two goals and five assists against Montreal.
"We knew they could do that, they've proven that in the past," McLellan said of the top trio, particularly the lethal McDavid-Draisaitl combo. "We were looking at spreading out some of our offence and having Leon drive his own line, but when the offence goes dry sometimes you've got to move stuff around… Those two provided a great sense of leadership for our group the other night. They played their A-game, both with and without the puck, and a result everybody followed. I expect that from them tonight."
Another Oilers player who had a solid game against the Habs was goaltender Mikko Koskinen, who turned aside 27 of the 29 shots he faced to record his fourth victory in five starts and was perfect for the final 38:50 of the contest. He gets the nod again for his first Battle of Alberta experience, while Cam Talbot is slated to start tomorrow's game back in Edmonton vs. Vegas.
"Mikko's game has been consistently getting better from the minute he put the equipment on," McLellan said of the puck-stopper's progression. "It took him a while to adapt and adjust to the North American rink, the North American shooters and maybe the style of game that was being played over here. As he's worked on his game, we gave him some time at the beginning of the year, he's gone into the crease and he's created a level of confidence for himself, for his teammates and for the staff that is at a very high point right now. He's big, athletic but yet technically sound, and we'll need that from him tonight against a really good Calgary team."
Koskinen, who has a 2.52 GAA and .918 save percentage this season, will be countered in the Flames crease by David Rittich, who is 5-1-0 on the season with a 1.91 GAA and .935 save percentage.
-- Ryan Frankson, EdmontonOilers.com

PREVIEW

OILERS (9-8-1) vs. FLAMES (10-8-1)
TV: 8:00 p.m. MST; Televised on CBC & Sportsnet
Head-to-Head:
Tonight's game is the first of four meetings between the Oilers and Flames this season. The two will meet again on Dec. 9, at Rogers Place, then again on Jan. 19, 2019 in Edmonton. They will conclude the season series on April 6, in Calgary.
Oilers team scope:
The Oilers are a rested group at the moment, going three days without a game after defeating the Montreal Canadiens 6-2 on Tuesday. The Orange & Blue broke their four-game losing slide against the Habs and are 5-5-0 in their last 10 games.
This is the Oilers first game against a Pacific Division foe this season. Seven of their next eight games will be played against Pacific clubs. During that stretch, Edmonton will meet each Californian club, as well as have two meetings with the Vegas Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings each.
Oilers Head Coach Todd McLellan confirmed Friday that goalie Mikko Koskinen will get his first taste of the Battle of Alberta and Cam Talbot will face the Golden Knights on Sunday.
"One team went to the Stanley Cup Finals last year and the other team is a rival," McLellan said. "We just decided that we would play Mikko on the road to experience the rivalry and Talbs at home in the back-to-back."
Flames team scope:
The Flames are coming off a 3-2 loss to the Habs and are on a two-game skid. Calgary just went through the same Californian swing the Oilers will experience this upcoming week, ending the three-game trip 1-2-0.
Flames Head Coach Bill Peters
confirmed
forward Dillon Dube would return to game action on Saturday. He's played 14 games, scoring two assists, this season.
The Flames are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games. They sit third in the Pacific Division with a 10-8-1 record and 21 points.
By the Numbers:
Connor McDavid is in a four-way tie for second in National Hockey League scoring with 10 goals and 26 points in 18 games. ... The Oilers Captain averages 22:25 time on ice per night, good for third in the League among all forwards. ... Calgary's leading scorer is Matthew Tkachuk with nine goals and 21 points in 19 outings. ... The Flames are 7-2-0 when scoring first, 4-1-0 when leading after the first but 3-6-1 when trailing after the opening 20. ... Calgary owns the 6th-best home power play, going 8-for-27 (29.6 percent) at the Scotiabank Saddledome. However, they rank 30th on the penalty kill at home with a 69.2 percent rate.
Injury Report:
OILERS - Andrej Sekera (Achilles) is on IR; Tobias Rieder (upper body) is out.
FLAMES - No current injuries.
-- Paul Gazzola, EdmontonOilers.com