Flames arrive in Edmonton after wins against a couple of top clubs but having lost four straight clashes with the Oilers
Calgary Flames (27-25-5, 59 points) at Edmonton Oilers (33-19-2, 68 points)
The Battle of Alberta: Part 3. With a two-game winning streak, the Flames have managed to keep pace in what currently is a five-team battle between the St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, Minnesota Wild, Seattle Kraken and themselves for the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot.
Prior to puck drop on Saturday’s action, a day in which all five of those squads hit the ice, those teams are separated by three points, with the Flames pulling up the rear. Whether a playoff push alleviates the potential a few key players being traded away before the March 8 deadline remains to be seen — yeah, we're looking at the usual suspects in defencemen Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin and even goaltender Jacob Markstrom — but bank on those donning the Flaming C to push until they are officially eliminated.
The Flames, coming off wins over a couple of top-tier squads in the Winnipeg Jets and Boston Bruins, have lost four straight games to the Oilers, including both meetings so far this season.
That said, the Oilers are having some woes. Edmonton has lost the first two games of a five-game homestand, a 6-5 overtime affair to the Bruins and a 4-2 clash with the Wild Friday night.
Since their 16-game winning streak that led up to the all-star break, the Oilers have a pedestrian 4-4-1 record. That’s not all, After surrendering no more than two goals in any game in January — and allowing only three goals in the final four games of that run — Edmonton has surrendered at least three goals against in all nine games so far this month. In those nine games, the Oilers have been victimized for 36 goals against.
To the surprise of nobody, Connor McDavid continues to shine offensively. He is riding a 21-game home-ice point streak (12-38-50) and has netted 16 points, all assists, in the last six outings. Curiously, McDavid has not scored a goal in eight games.
After Calvin Pickard played in goal last night, expect Stuart Skinner to take the net.
Here are the likely lineups for both squads:
Calgary
Forwards:
Jonathan Huberdeau-Yegor Sharangovich-Jakob Pelletier
Connor Zary-Nazem Kadri-Martin Pospisil
Andrew Mangiapane-Mikael Backlund-Blake Coleman
Dryden Hunt-Kevin Rooney-Walker Duehr
Defence:
MacKenzie Weegar-Rasmus Andersson
Noah Hanifin-Chris Tanev
Oliver Kylington-Brayden Pachal
Extras: Dennis Gilbert, Jordan Oesterle
Goal:
Dan Vladar
Jacob Markstrom
Vladar has a 1-1-0 mark against Edmonton with a 2.53 GAA and .917 SvPct. Markstrom has an 15-16-2 career record against the Oilers with one shutout, a 2.99 goals-against average and .900 save percentage.
Edmonton
Forwards:
Warren Foegele-Connor McDavid-Zach Hyman
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins-Leon Draisaitl-Evander Kane
Mattias Janmark-Ryan McLeod-Connor Brown
Dylan Holloway-Derek Ryan-Corey Perry
Defence:
Mattias Ekholm-Evan Bouchard
Darnell Nurse-Cody Ceci
Brett Kulak-Vincent Desharnais
Goal:
Stuart Skinner
Calvin Pickard
Skinner boasts a 4-0-0 record with a 1.25 GAA and .965 SvPct. against Calgary. Pickard sports a 0-4-0 mark with a 3.86 GAA and .879 SvPct.
ICE CHIPS: In 39 career games against Calgary, Connor McDavid has collected 29 goals and 53 points. Leon Draisaitl has netted 10 goals and 55 points in 43 games … This marks the first time this season the Flames have met super-pest Corey Perry, who has racked up 19 goals, 49 points and 83 penalty minutes in 71 career clashes with Calgary … Oilers F Zach Hyman has scored in three consecutive games and leads Edmonton with 35 tallies … Calgary’s penalty kill, ranked fifth overall and second on the road (85.9%) will face a tough test with Edmonton clicking at 35.1% at home with the power play. In the last 10 home games, the Oilers have scored at a 45.8% rate on the power play (11-for-24) … Edmonton’s plus-21 third-period goal differential (71-50) is second only to Florida’s plus-24 mark … The clubs will sport the uniforms unveiled for the Heritage Classic outdoor game in Edmonton in October and also used last month at the Saddledome.