The Edmonton Oilers are back in action Saturday night when they visit the Calgary Flames.
The Oilers have gone three days without a game after their playing their first 12 games in 21 days.
“Nice to get a day off and then a couple of practices. You can kind of regroup on the first 12 and go over things we liked and things we didn’t like,” captain Connor McDavid said.
“When you’re playing every second day, you think you’re tired. When you haven’t played, you think you have to get up and going,” head coach Dave Tippett said.
“I think the rest was good for us.”
It’s the first of ten meetings between the Oilers and Flames this season. It’s their first regular season encounter since the famous Goalie Fight Game of February 1, 2020. It was one of several heated moments from the club’s four meetings in 2019/20.
“We don’t like them. They don’t like us,” said Zack Kassian, who’s had a feud with the Flames’ Matthew Tkachuk. Despite that, Kassian isn’t promising any fireworks Saturday night.
“We’re here to win a game,” he said. “You don’t go in thinking there’s going to a line brawl.”
Defenceman Ethan Bear will miss his third straight game after getting hit with a puck on the bench last Saturday. Goaltender Troy Grosenick was claimed off waivers by the L.A. Kings.
The Oilers and Flames square off at 8 p.m. Coverage on 630 CHED starts with the Face-off Show at 6:30 p.m.