The wait is over for a Battle of Alberta.
The Edmonton Oilers hit the halfway point of the 2019-20 season Friday night at Rogers Place with their first meeting of the season against the Calgary Flames.
“Weird schedule that we haven’t played them yet,” said Oilers winger Josh Archibald.
The Oilers have 44 points in 40 games and are in third place in the Pacific Division. They’re one point better than the Flames, who have a game in hand.
“Both teams have been off for three days. From my experience, it usually ends up being a bit of a sloppy game,” said Oilers head coach Dave Tippett.
“Take care of the details. Make sure you’re competing on pucks and not giving the game away.”
There’s an unusual amount of crossover between the two clubs. James Neal and Mike Smith were with the Flames last season. Cam Talbot, Tobias Rieder and Milan Lucic were with the Oilers. Neal and Lucic were traded for each other in July.
“I signed a five-year contract. I went into Calgary thinking I was going to be counted on as one of their top guys,” said Neal. “For whatever reason, it was a lot different there and I just wasn’t able to do that.”
The Oilers expected lineup is:
Draisaitl – McDavid – Kassian
Neal – Nugent-Hopkins – Archibald
Khaira – Sheahan – P. Russell
Nygard – Haas – Chiasson
Klefbom – Larsson
Nurse – Bear
K. Russell – Jones
Koskinen
Catch the Oilers and Flames on 630 CHED with the Face-off Show at 5 p.m. The game starts at 7 p.m.