FGD 53: The 242nd Battle of Alberta (8pm MT, CBC)
By Ryan Pike
4 years agoTwo bitter provincial rivals! Tied in the Pacific Division standings! Two massive points on the line! The Calgary Flames (27-19-6, 60 points)! The Edmonton Oilers (27-18-6, 60 points)! An Edmonton win puts Edmonton two points up with a game in hand. A Calgary win puts them two points up on the Oilers (and gives them some breathing room in the playoff race).
It safe to say it’s a big, big game for both teams. It begins just after 8 p.m. MT on CBC and Sportsnet 960 The Fan.
The Flames
Projected lines, via Daily Faceoff:
Mangiapane – Lindholm – Tkachuk
Gaudreau – Monahan – Robinson
Lucic – Ryan – Dube
Bennett – Backlund – Rieder
Gaudreau – Monahan – Robinson
Lucic – Ryan – Dube
Bennett – Backlund – Rieder
Giordano – Brodie
Hanifin – Hamonic
Kylington – Andersson
Hanifin – Hamonic
Kylington – Andersson
David Rittich starts for the Flames, backed up by Cam Talbot. Today’s scratches are Michael Stone, Mark Jankowski and Zac Rinaldo.
The Flames have captured three of a possible four points since the All-Star Break, grinding out a pair of tight, mature, shootout wins. Playing 65 minutes (and a shootout) probably isn’t a recipe for sustainable long-term success, but the name of the game right now is trying to keep pace in the Pacific.
The Flames need a win tonight to keep pace with the Oilers.
The Oilers
Projected lines, via Daily Faceoff:
Neal – McDavid – Kassian
Nugent-Hopkins – Draisaitl – Yamamoto
Nygard – Sheahan – Chiasson
Khaira – Haas – P.Russell
Nugent-Hopkins – Draisaitl – Yamamoto
Nygard – Sheahan – Chiasson
Khaira – Haas – P.Russell
Nurse – Bear
Klefbom – Larsson
Jones – Benning
Klefbom – Larsson
Jones – Benning
Mike Smith starts for Edmonton, backed up by Mikko Koskinen. Last night’s extras are Tyler Benson and William Lagesson.
Edmonton hosted the St. Louis Blues last night, playing really well and grinding out an impressive 4-2 victory. The Oilers will be playing their third game in four nights, though, and you’ve got to wonder if the Flames push the pace early on if Edmonton runs out of gas.
The Numbers
| Flames | Oilers | |
| Wins | 27 | 27 |
| Points | 60 | 60 |
| Adjusted Corsi | 50.1% | 48.1% |
| Power Play | 19.9% | 29.4% |
| Penalty Kill | 81.9% | 82.6% |
Injury Report
The Flames are without D Juuso Valimaki (ACL surgery).
The Oilers are missing F James Neal (foot), D Kris Russell (concussion) and Joakim Nygard (hand).
When Last We Met
The Flames won each of the first three meetings between these teams. After tonight, they play one more time in April in Calgary – it’ll be the final game of the regular season for both teams.
Know Thy Enemy
Here are some key Twitter peeps to follow for tonight:
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