Calgary Gets Early Jump Over Oilers To Win Battle of Alberta

The Calgary Flames kicked off one of their best starts in over a dozen years after defenceman Michael Stone scored a goal and recorded two assists in what was heralded as revenge against the Oilers for Edmonton ousting the Flames during last season’s playoffs.

The 4-3 win on Saturday was the first time for the Flames that they have won their two first games of the regular season since the 2009-2010 season. The moment was not lost on Stone, who racked up his first three-point game in the NHL on Saturday, he said the first period saw the Calgary Flames full of energy and doing some good things.

“The first period was good, we came out with a lot of energy and did some good things,” said Stone, who recorded his first-ever three-point game in the NHL as the Flames grabbed a 4-1 lead in the first period. We kind of got back on our heels a little bit in the second, but we managed to turn it back around in the third and finished the game off 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.”

Calgary’s Andrew Mangiapane, Nazem Kadri, and Mikael Backlund also scored for the Flames,  while Kadri, Blake Coleman, Dillion Dube, and Kevin Rooney were credited with assists. For Kadri, the way Calgary blocked Edmonton’s attempt at a comeback was a positive sign.

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

For the Edmonton Oilers, who managed to score a victory over Vancouver in their first game after being behind by three, saw Ryan McLeod, Connor McDavid, and Cody Ceci each scoring goals, while Evander Kane, Ryan Murray, Kailer Yamamoto, and Leon Draisaitl recorded assists.

“We had a couple of whacks at the end, we were hoping one of those squeaks through, said Leon Draisaitl. It wasn’t meant to be. Just individual and system mistakes, they’re little mistakes that are easy to clean up. We can’t spot a team three goals in back-to-back nights. That’s something we have to address, obviously.”

The Calgary Flames got off to a fast start scoring their first goal at 1:13 in the first period when Mikael Backlund managed to pick up a rebound after Edmonton goalie Jack Campbell deflected the initial shot.

Just over two minutes later, the Oilers managed to erase that lead after a failed pass ended up going to Cody Ceci, who quickly sent a long shot past Calgary’s Dan Vladar. However, it wasn’t long before Calgary regained the lead when Michael Stone overcame heavy traffic to fire off a shot at 4:34 that found its way past Campbell. 

Minutes later, Calgary extended their 2-1 lead while on a powerplay when Edmonton’s Brett Kulak wiped out, giving Kadri an open lane to the net. With the Flames up 3-1 in the first, they added another when Andrew Mangiapane fired off a rebound from the blue line that Jack Campbell had initially saved.

After the fourth by Calgary and Campbell letting in four out of eleven shots, he was replaced with backup goalie Stuart Skinner. However, while the Oilers managed to shorten Calgary’s lead in the second when Evander Kane sent a pass to Connor McDavid and scored a third with five minutes remaining in the second after Ryan McLeod snuck one in with a behind the net goal, it was not enough.

With the Flames winning their first two of the regular season, it wasn’t a surprise to see Calgary’s head coach, Geoff Ward, starting Vladar in net after Jacob Markstrom allowed in 24 goals during the five playoff games against the Oilers.

Even moreso, both the Oilers and Flames won their season openers, with Edmonton defeating the Canucks and the Fames winning their opener against defending Stanley Cup champions, the Colorado Avalanche. However, the Flames outshot the Oilers 42-28, and for Canadian sports punters wanting to bet on Calgary’s upcoming games, their performance is ideal for a favourable outcome.

Saturday night’s game was just one of three regular-season games between the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames. Provincial rivals, the two will next battle it out on the 29th of October and wrap up this season’s Battle of Alberta when the Flames will host the Oilers.

The Oilers and Flames are off until Tuesday, when Calgary will welcome the Vegas Knights in an eight-home game stretch, while Edmonton will welcome the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday before hitting the road for the three-game road trip.