Battle of Alberta - Edmonton Oilers at Calgary Flames

Edmonton Oilers at Calgary Flames
Saturday, October 24th – Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary 

Battle of Alberta, Part 3. Regardless of their records, it’s always fun when Edmonton and Calgary face off. Lucky for hockey fans, both the Flames (6-2-1) and Oilers (6-2-1) are playing well right now.  

Despite being outshot, the Flames looked impressive in a 6-3 win over Columbus on Tuesday. Jarome Iginla finally broke out of his early-season slump, scoring and adding two assists for his first multi-point game of the campaign. What’s impressive is that Calgary is having such a successful season without the offensive aid of their captain. If Iginla is back to form, than the Flames could be a very tough team to beat.

The Oil also beat Columbus for their last win, a 5-4 victory in Edmonton. Unfortunately the team has been hit by the flu bug. Ladislav Smid, Ales Hemsky and Gilbert Brule have been hit the hardest, and Pat Quinn cancelled a couple practices out of concern. Luckily the team has been playing a lot of home games recently, so the players don’t have to resort to uncomfortable hotel conditions for rest. The Oilers have played eight home games already this season and have won six of them. The only losses? They came against Calgary.  
 
What The Oilers Have To Do To Win:

One of Edmonton’s biggest problems over the past couple of years has been inconsistent play from those who were supposed to be top guys. Players like Dustin Penner and Ales Hemsky never grew into the superstars they were meant to be.

This year has been different. Penner is coming off a 5-point night against Columbus and looks poised for an amazing season. Hemsky also had 5-points against the Jackets and looks primed for a breakout year. If these two can continue provided offensive spark and leadership for Edmonton, more wins will be in their future.  

What The Flames Have To Do To Win:

The Flames have been plagued by some poor defense early in the season. It’s a strange phenomenon considering three of the defenseman (Phaneuf, Regehr, Bouwmeester) are almost locks to make Canada’s Olympic Team in 2010.

The three combined are a minus-3 on the season. Luckily the offense has been there to pick up the slack, but it cannot last. The Flames defense needs to tighten up and give goalie Mikka Kipprusoff a little breathing room. Kipper will never admit it, but he is getting older and cannot be relied on to bail out the defense all season long.  

A big question going into the season was how Calgary was going to replace the offensive firepower of Mike Cammalleri, who scored 39 goals then bolted in free agency. With Iginla and Olli Jokinen stumbling out of the gate, the depth of the Flames offense has really shone. Rene Bourque and Curtis Glencross lead the team with four goals each. Bourque’s 11 points lead the team. It probably won’t last all season, but knowing that the Flames have players who can score when the stars are struggling is a good sign for the season.  
 
Outlook & Pick