Tonight will be the last ever Battle of Alberta game in Rexall Place. It isn’t the final game in Rexall because, again, the schedule maker is a complete buffoon, but for many people the Flames are as synonymous with Rexall/Skyreach/Northlands as the Oilers.
The legendary battles between these teams for dominance in the 80’s created a rivalry that carried into a decade where both team have been mostly terrible. It’s true that the Battle of Alberta is really going out with a whimper in Rexall. The Flames are 3 points up on the Oilers for 30th in the NHL. The Oilers don’t want to finish last but at this point Oiler fans are comfortable finishing with the best odds to win the lottery. The Flames don’t want to finish last, but they could use one of those big three forwards to add to their group.
I’m cheering for an Oiler win but really only because we all know an Oiler lottery win is inevitable. I’d very much like the Oilers to win the season series against the Flames. It’s currently split 2-2 but it’s been 2.5 months since they’ve played, which also seems like another ball-drop by the schedule maker.
I have fond memories of Rexall with the Oilers playing the Flames. As a young man these were the games that were the hardest to find tickets for. The crowd was always amped up for them. The players had an extra gear. At least that’s the way I remember them. The atmosphere in Rexall was different for games against the Flames than they were for the 29 other teams.
Part of the atmosphere is the expectations for the Oilers. No matter what, the Flames were the bar the Oilers set themselves against. There has always been this idea in the background that the season couldn’t be a success if the Oilers couldn’t beat the Flames. There were seasons when the Oilers simply couldn’t beat them. Those years were crushing.
The Oilers could finish this year with a winning record against the Flames. In an alternate history where the Oilers have the exact same points but were swept by the Flames, that season would feel worse than this one. There’s a healthy level of hate for the Flames that has made my memories of Rexall more intense. Hopefully this one last game can put a fitting end to the Battle of Alberta’s time in the only arena the Oilers have ever known.
The Battle will continue on in the new Arena, and hopefully both teams will be able to turn their ships around this offseason. The Flames will have a great chance to Draft a much needed scoring forward. The Oilers are a real Wild Card this summer as they could make major changes via trade at the Draft.
All I can promise is that no matter where the Oilers are playing, beating the Flames will always be the goal. LINEUP
Adam Pardy is apparently likely to start tonight, though Nugent-Hopkins will have to wait until game 81.
Hall Draisaitl Yakupov Maroon McDavid Eberle Korpikoski Letestu Pakarinen Hendricks Lander Kassian
Sekera Fayne Reinhart Oesterle Nurse Pardy
Talbot OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME
1) Well Rested. The Oilers haven’t played a game in exactly 47 days, which should leave them well rested for the night’s match. Ok, well, actually they haven’t played since Monday. The schedule maker had to be laughing at the Oilers when this was set up. How about a game every other night for a month and a half, then 3 games in roughly 2 weeks? Classic Schedule maker, that jokester. The Flames, on the other hand, will be playing their 4th game this week – All of them on the road. It’s the end of the year. It’s the final Battle of Alberta in Rexall. The Flames should be feeling road weary. The Oilers need to capitalize on this if they want to carry any kind of pride about the way they finished the season into next year.
2) Johnny Hockey. I hate to admit that any Flame is good, so it pains me to say that Johnny Gaudreau is a fine little player. When he came into the NHL I was not among the believers that this kid could translate his college success to the NHL but I was very, very wrong. His 73 points in 75 games is good enough for 9th in NHL scoring, tied with Seguin and Brent Burns. The only knock on him this year is that he is two different players at home and on the road. As noted by Jack Michaels this morning, Gaudreau has 53 points at home and is +21 but on the road he only has 20 points and is -18. The splits weren’t nearly as drastic a year ago for the diminutive winger, so I’m more willing to call it an oddity than anything else. No matter where he is, he’s dangerous.
3) Back To Basics. Edmonton’s replacement level defense from the 3-6 spots on the blueline has been catching up to them lately. Early in March the Oiler blueline was playing a very simple game. Clendening has been the culprit of late, but in general it’s been everyone playing a little too aggressively at bad times. The Oilers just need their D to play it safe, get the puck up the ice and get back the other direction in a hurry. They need them to do that because there is no Karlsson or Subban on this roster right now. The reward for the risk isn’t there from the blue. Just get the puck onto the sticks of McDavid and Hall. If the chance to pinch is there, maybe consider that’s exactly what Gaudreau is hoping you’ll try.
Puck drops tonight at 8PM Mountain Time on CBC. Game On!
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