Oilers Gameday – @ Flames

Hope everyone enjoyed the holiday season and the three days off from NHL hockey! The Oilers return to action tonight for the third edition of the Battle of Alberta, and the first portion of a back-to-back set that will see the team host Philly tomorrow night. The two sides have split the meetings so far, with Edmonton collecting three of four possible points.

The Oilers snapped a six game losing streak on Monday night, taking some heat off them, but must win tonight to keep the heat off. Fans are getting restless, and most seem to have hit their breaking point. One game won’t turn things around, and this one might just be as big for the Oilers.

The team placed forward Ryan Jones on IR Thursday. Jones was knocked unconscious at practice on Monday afternoon. Defender Philip Larsen is currently battling an illness, while forward Mark Arcobello is still batting an injury he sustained in the Oilers loss to LA last Tuesday night.

The Oilers recalled forward Roman Horak, a former Flame, and defender Martin Marincin on Thursday afternoon. Goalie Devan Dubnyk will start in net tonight. Dubnyk last played eight days ago, where he kept the Oilers close in their 4-2 loss to Colorado.

Last Games:

Edmonton: The Oilers took to the ice and dominated the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night. Edmonton came out flying, and got on the board first as Jordan Eberle would put home an Ales Hemsky pass to go up 1-0. Mark Stuart would tie things up moments later however, sliding a weak goal through the five-hole of Ilya Bryzgalov, but Edmonton would regain the lead with less than four minutes left off a Sam Gagner goal.

In the second, the Jets dominated Edmonton for the first ten minutes, and got the tying goal as Dustin Byfuglien ripped a shot that Andrew Ladd deflected into the net. Edmonton would regain it’s composure and re-take the lead at 16:40 with a David Perron back-hand goal set up off a beautiful pass by Taylor Hall.

In the third, Edmonton would pour it on with goals from Jeff Petry, Taylor Hall and Nail Yakupov, and the game would get testy with a line brawl in the final minutes following Yakupov’s goal. Edmonton would come out on top, winning 6-2.

Calgary: The Flames had one of their most impressive wins of the season at the dome on Monday night. The high-flying Blues came into town and played a strong first period, even getting the game’s first goal thanks to a Kevin Shattenkirk shot on the PP.

In the second, the Flames would strike even at 12:06 as Jiri Hudler would slide home a goal on the man advantage. The Blues would strike back however, just over a minute later, as Jaden Schwartz would fire home a shot. Magnus Paajarvi would extend the lead to 3-1 moments later with a wrist shot that beat Reto Berra.

The Flames would push to tie things in the third, and would get it within one thanks to a Mike Cammalleri shot at 11:05, then would tie it with five seconds left thanks to a Mark Giordano bomb.

OT would solve nothing, and the sides would head to a shoot-out. Joe Colborne would open the scoring with a goal in round one, while Reto Berra would stop all three Blues shooters to seal the 4-3 win.

Last Meeting:

The Oilers and Flames met back on December 7th in a game where goaltending would be the deciding factor. Edmonton was stifled all night by Flames goalie Reto Berra, and the Flames defense, which held strong at their blue-line and frustrated Edmonton all night long.

The Flames would get on the board first as Lee Stempniak would rifle a shot over Devan Dubnyk’s shoulder with under five minutes to go in the first. Dubnyk would stand tall the rest of regulation however, giving his teammates the chance to tie things up.

His teammates would not squander that chance either, as Taylor Hall would score off a pretty feed from David Perron with just eleven seconds to play in the game.

In OT, the Oilers got a few decent chances, but would have a defensive breakdown that proved costly. Justin Schultz left Jiri Hudler open at the side of the net, and Hudler would would slide home the game winner 3:14 into the extra frame to give Calgary the 2-1 victory in Edmonton.

Players To Watch:

Edmonton: It’s time to key in on Oiler forward Taylor Hall again. Hall has crept into the top 20 NHL scorers again, and has been on fire recently. He’s looking to make a push to get on Team Canada, and is looking to carry his team out of a terrible spot. Hall hates losing, and it’s evident he is trying to will this team to wins. He’s owned the Flames in his career, and I expect another solid game tonight.

Calgary: Flames forward Mikael Backlund has really looked good recently, and is starting to realize his potential. Many thought the Flames would part ways with this young center, but he’s been a major part of the team’s offense these last few games. Backlund always seems to play well against Edmonton, so I expect this hot forward to have a good night tonight.

Lines:

Edmonton Oilers Lines:

Taylor Hall – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – David Perron

Jesse Joensuu – Sam Gagner – Jordan Eberle

Ryan Smyth – Boyd Gordon – Ales Hemsky

Luke Gazdic – Anton Lander – Nail Yakupov

Andrew Ference – Justin Schultz

Anton Belov – Jeff Petry

Nick Schultz – Corey Potter

Devan Dubnyk

Calgary Flames Lines:

Mike Cammalleri – Mikael Backlund – Paul Bryon

T.J. Galiardi – Matt Stajan – Lee Stempniak

Jiri Hudler – Joe Colborne – David Jones

Lance Bouma – Sean Monahan – Brian McGrattan

Mark Giordano – Ladislav Smid

Chris Butler – TJ Brodie

Chris Breen – Shane O’Brien

Reto Berra