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Oilers @ Flames Game 36 Preview

Rejuvenated, refreshed, and recharged after the Christmas break, the Oilers look to make some noise tonight in Calgary. We're unsure of what kind of noise yet, but there'll be noise nonetheless.

Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports


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@

Calgary
7-21-7, 21 points, .6 p/g Ranks 18-15-3  39 points, 1.084 p/g
Western Conference - 14th Western Conference - 9th
30th P/G 20th
25th ST 27th
29th ES 15th
30th Goal 18th
8:00 PM MDT - CBC
Scotiabank Saddledome
The opposing view: Matchsticks and Gasoline
Tickets - TiqIQ

Futility, Inc.

Arizona completed a season sweep of the Edmonton Oilers with a 5-1 victory at Rexall Place on Tuesday.  Former Oiler Sam Gagner had a four point night (2G-2A), and save for a Justin Schultz tally in the first period, it never was close.  Oiler goaltender Ben Scrivens got the hook just five minutes into the game when he allowed Arizona's second goal on three shots.  Viktor Fasth didn't do very much better in relief.  The Coyotes have just twelve wins on the season, and five of those came against the Oilers by Christmastime.

This evening, the Oilers will face off in Calgary against the Flames, a team they'll play another four times this year including tonight.  After a sizzling start, the Flames are starting to hit reality (they're just 2-7-1 over their last ten). More encouraging words to follow.

The Oilers are saying

"We obviously took a step back tonight.  It wasn't the game that we wanted"

That's Oilers interim head coach Todd Nelson after Tuesday's 5-1 debacle against the Coyotes

It's getting harder and harder to say that this team isn't very good, but here we are, doing it for the twenty-eighth time in thirty-five games so far this season.  Nelson has yet to see a victory as the Oilers head coach, the team has seen one victory since the second week of November, and the wheels just keep on turning in Oil Country.  Tonight, they'll face off against a Flames team that's been having a tough go of it in recent weeks, but if Arizona can dustbin the Oilers like they did, that's gotta look mighty good to the Flames.

The Opponent is saying

"For all the bad things, luck-wise, that have happened to us lately, I think we deserved a break and we got one."

That's Flames defenceman Mark Giordano on his team's come-from-behind 4-3 victory against the Kings on Monday night.

If you've read almost anything that's been put out there about the Flames' play in the last three months, you would think that they are en route to a playoff berth.  They've solved the rebuild, guys, you can head home now.

Yeah, about all that.

While Calgary's start to the season looked good on paper (they were a cool 17-8-2 just three weeks ago), they've -gotten just one win since. Wonder what that's all about?  Maybe that team shooting percentage of 10+% won't hold on for an entire season?  The Oilers have taken more shots on net this season than the Flames, yet the Flames have nearly thirty more goals on the year.  Don't worry, Calgary, there's always room for one more at the lottery table.

Have some of this

  • UNSUSTAINABLE - Jiri Hudler has 33 points for the Flames.  More impressive is the near 20% shooting percentage he's got on sixty-six shots.  He's on a 4M cap hit with one more season to go. Interested to see if he gets some crazy cash in the next year.
  • UNSUSTAINABLE, II - The Flames have eleven players with shooting percentages over 10%.  Only one of those players (Mason Raymond) has played in less than 20 games so far this year.  Earth below us, drifting, falling,..
  • It's fun to take shots at Calgary, but let's not get away from the Oilers.  They're bad.  They're on a one-win-in-twenty-games kind of bad.  .
  • WHO SAID IT? "We're just nowhere near where we have to be to compete in this league.".  Was it...A) David Perron?  B)  Andrew Ference?  C) Taylor Hall?  or D) Super Fan Jay Brown?  Your answer is here.
  • Hey, has Martin Marincin been called up yet?  No?  Brad Hunt is still on the roster?  That's cool. Hey, you got the keys to this tank?
  • Todd Nelson looks for his first win as Oilers coach tonight.  He's 0-2-2 since replacing Dallas Eakins.
  • GOALERS - I'm not sure how Viktor Fasth doesn't get a start here soon.  Scrivens had another forgettable start, and if I'm Todd Nelson, I'm kind of interested in seeing the other side of the coin tonight.  Could be more of the same, it's quite likely that it's more of the same, but every now and again I want to hear the B-side of the record.
  • WE ARE HERE FOR YOU - Hey, it's tough being an Oilers fan.  Whether you're still at the "I can't believe this team isn't doing anything about this" phase, or whether you're at the third stage of apathy, don't fret.  We're all in this boat together.  A sad excuse of a boat with a busted mast that's leaking pretty good, but we're all in it.  You and me, kid. The moon, the stars.
  • GOILERS