It’s been a long time since the battle of Alberta carried some weight in the standings.
The intensity returned to the rivalry during a thrilling Saturday night tilt at Rogers Place between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers.
Even though the Flames were clipped 2-1 by the Oilers, there were many positives to be drawn from their second shootout loss of the season.
“That’s how we play our best, when everyone is emotionally invested,” Flames goaltender Brian Elliot said. He stopped 24 of 25 shots. “We have to bring that consistently every night. It doesn’t matter what team you’re playing, whether it’s a Saturday night or a Tuesday night – you have to bring that same intensity.”
Tied 1-1 after regulation, the back-and-forth play ratcheted up the intensity with every rush.
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“It was definitely a fun game to be a part of and hopefully (there’s) much more going forward,” Flames right wingner Kris Versteeg said.
“We had a lot of chances that game, some good odd man rushes and that’s how it goes; those things come in bunches. But, defense is first, we got to think defensive mentality first, play structured and we can be happy with games like that,” Flames captain Mark Giordano said.
The Oilers put the heat on the Flames by scoring on their first two opportunities of the shootout. Monahan shot first for the Flames, but was turned away by Cam Talbot. Gaudreau needed to score to keep the Flames alive, but missed and dropped to 0-for-3 in the shootout this season.
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With the win, the Oilers (23-15-7) jumped four points ahead of the Flames for third place in the Pacific Division.
Elliot has turned his game around after a shaky start to his Flames career, partially due to the teams improved play in their own zone.
“I thought we did a really good job in Edmonton about getting out of our zone. That creates your offence and keeps you from playing defense all the time,” Glen Gulutzan, Flames head coach said. “Our structure in front of them, limiting second chances has been good and (our goaltenders) have been good at making the first save.”
Fighting for a playoff spot in January, Gulutzan recognized a direct correlation between last year’s playoff teams and their goals against averages.
“Last year, 14 out of the 16 playoff teams had the lowest goals against,” Gulutzan said. “I think last year we were 30th and this year we sit 16th, so we still have some work to do.”
“The perennial playoff teams are starting to buckle down and that’s something we got to learn and do here over the next 20-25 games.”
The Flames (23-20-3) host the Florida Panthers (20-17-8) Tuesday night, 7 p.m., at the Scotiabank Saddledome. The Panthers sit 12th in the NHL with a 2.60 goals against average, while the Flames are 16th with a 2.67 GAA.
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