Flames begin quickly, hold on to beat Oilers in Battle of Alberta – TSN.ca

EDMONTON — It’s already the best start for the Calgary Flames in a dozen years.

Defenseman Michael Stone had a goal and two assists as the Flames retaliated a little for last season’s playoff win over Edmonton, beating the Oilers 4-3 on Saturday.

It was the first time the Flames had won their first two games of the NHL regular season since the 2009-2010 season.

“The first half was good, we came out with a lot of energy and did some good things,” said Stone, who scored his first three-point game in the NHL as the Flames went 4-1 in the first Period.

“We kind of got back on our heels in the second but managed to turn it back around in the third and finish the game well which was good to see.

“We didn’t panic. We know what it takes to win and what little things need to be done to win in this league.”

Mikael Backlund, Nazem Kadri and Andrew Mangiapane also scored for the Flames

Kadri said the way the Flames withstood an Oilers comeback attempt was a positive sign.

“I’m happy with the way we played,” said Kadri. “It shows a lot of maturity. We have an adult group here and I don’t think anyone really hit the panic button.”

Cody Ceci, Connor McDavid and Ryan McLeod scored for the Oilers (1-1), who were also three goals down in their first game against Vancouver before combining in a 5-3 win.

“We had a couple of hits at the end, we were hoping for one of those squeaks to come through. It wasn’t meant to be,” said Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl, who had two assists.

“Only individual and system errors, these are small errors that are easy to clean up. We can’t show a team three goals in consecutive nights. Of course we have to address that.”

The Flames got off to a quick start, going 1:13 in the opening frame when Backlund put the rebound in front after Oilers starter Jack Campbell made the first save on a deflected shot.

Edmonton erased that early 3:18 lead in the first with a broken pass that eventually returned to Ceci, who beat Flames goaltender Dan Vladar with a long shot down the glove side.

Calgary regained the advantage just over a minute later at 4:34 when Stone was able to send a shot through heavy traffic that found its way into the net.

The Flames made it 3-1 on the power play three minutes later when Oilers defenseman Brett Kulak was eliminated, giving Kadri a clear path to the net and he cleaned to score his first goal for Calgary.

The Flames extended their lead midway through the first when Mangiapane hit a rebound home from the blue color after Campbell made the first save. The Oilers brought in Stuart Skinner to replace Campbell, who allowed four goals on 11 shots.

Edmonton regained the power play midway through the second third when Evander Kane made a great pass on the doorstep to McDavid, who scored his fourth goal of the season.

The Oilers made it a one-goal game with five minutes remaining when Ryan Murray moved off defense and finally sent a forward feed to McLeod from behind the net, which sent him past Vladar.

There was no goal in the third half, despite a last-ditch excitement from the Oilers at the end.

Calgary beat the Oilers 42-28 in the game.

Skinner had 31 saves in the loss.

REMARKS

The game was one of only three regular-season matchups between the bitter provincial rivals, and the only one in Edmonton. The two teams will play in Calgary on October 29th and again in Calgary on December 27th to conclude the Battle of Alberta for this season… Unsurprisingly, Vladar got the starting shot for the Flames. In the five playoff games against the Oilers last year, usual starter Jacob Markstrom conceded 24 goals… Both teams won their season openers by 5-3 points as the Oilers defeated the Vancouver Canucks from a 3-0 deficit early in the second-third Flames beat defending Stanley Cup champions, Colorado Avalanche.

NEXT

Both teams are suspended until Tuesday. The Flames start a mammoth home game with eight home games when they host the Vegas Golden Knights. The Oilers are playing the third game of a six-game homestand against the Buffalo Sabers. Edmonton starts the season with nine of its first 12 contests on home ice.

This report from The Canadian Press was first published on October 15, 2022.