The trend in the Battle of Alberta has seen Edmonton’s top players outplay Calgary’s top players. When that happens it’s no secret that Edmonton has won three of four games this season, and four of the past five meetings, averaging 4.8 goals per game over that five-game span.
So we asked Darnell Nurse if it is fair to judge a player on how he plays in rivalry games like Monday’s in Calgary, where the Flames have won two straight since Darryl Sutter took the reins.
“There are different matchups over the course of the year, and every one presents a different challenge,” began Nurse. “Is it fair? Yes, but by the same token you can’t base everything off of one matchup, or one (opponent). There are so many teams that present different challenges.”
Predictably, Connor McDavid leads the way this season with 10 points in the four games and he has a career average of 1.33 points per game against the Flames. The series sees five different players tied with four points each in second place, and over the long haul, nobody comes close to McDavid’s average scoring rate of 0.83 goals per game, with 20 goals in 24 career games against Calgary.
So what makes McDavid so effective in the Battle of Alberta?
“Connor has lots of goals and lots of points against every team,” said Oilers head coach Dave Tippett. “It just so happens we play Calgary a lot.”
Sutter agreed, saying, “I don’t think he’s singled out the Calgary Flames as his main target,” with a chuckle on the weekend. “I’ve watched him lots. I live 80 miles from Edmonton, so I’ve watched the Oilers as much as I’ve watched Calgary or Vancouver. McDavid’s a good player. Bottom line is he’s head and shoulders the best player in the league.”
Career Battle of Alberta Stats
Johnny Gaudreau: 23 points, 31 games (0.74 points per game)
Matthew Tkachuk: nine points, 18 games (0.50 ppg)
Sean Monahan: 22 points, 31 games (0.71 ppg)
(Elias Lindholm has 23 points in 22 games against Edmonton, though only 12 of those games were played as a Flame.)
Connor McDavid: 32 points, 24 games (1.33 ppg)
Leon Draisaitl: 28 points, 28 games (1.00 ppg)
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins: 32 points, 41 games (0.78)
Oilers Lines
Here’s our best bet at the Oilers lines tonight:
Draisaitl, McDavid, Yamamoto
Ennis, Nugent-Hopkins, Puljujarvi
Shore, Khaira, Archibald
Neal, Haas, Chiasson
Nurse, Barrie
Lagesson, Larsson
Russell, Bear
Smith
It looks like James Neal comes in and Patrick Russell comes out, while Tippett said that Kris Russell will play tonight if he is cleared by the doctors. Caleb Jones will come out.
Mike Smith gets the start in goal, winning both of his starts versus Calgary this season, posting a 1.50 goals against average.
Flames Lines
Tkachuk, Lindholm, Dube
Gaudreau, Monahan, Ritchie
Lucic, Backlund, Mangiapane
Bennett, Ryan, Leivo
Giordano, Andersson
Hanifin, Tanev
Valimaki, Kylington
Markstrom
Unlikely that Sutter changes a 2-0 lineup, and Jacob Markstrom worked the starter’s net at the morning skate. Brett Ritchie has unexpectedly laid claim to the RW spot on Monahan’s line, while the Flames’ third line has been a real weapon of late. Milan Lucic has three scraps in his past seven games, against Josh Anderson, Austin Watson and Nurse.
Notes and Thoughts
Everyone is missing the fans at NHL arenas, but it’s even worse when you roll into the Saddledome and there is nobody to heckle you.
“I kind of miss getting booed by the fans, and chirped by them,” said Nurse. “Usually you come into Calgary and it’s pretty hostile.”
Speaking of hostile, the Flames have been much harder to play against in their first couple of games under Sutter. It’s a pet peeve of mine how a team just stops taking care of the details under one coach, then when the new guy walks through the door they manage to do all the things the fired coach had been asking for all along.
The Flames are doing just that under Sutter, who replaced Geoff Ward.
“We’ve just been better as a team, a little bit more dialled in,” said Flames defenceman Rasmus Andersson of the resurgence under Sutter. “You know what he expects from you and you have to do that work. We’ve more dialled in, and we’ve been playing a little bit more direct. We’ve tried to play quicker, and when you play quicker and faster it usually means that you don’t have to defend as much.”
Zack Kassian (broken hand) has been cleared to practice with the Oilers but he is not cleared for a game yet… Goalie Alex Stalock is approaching the end of his quarantine and will practice with the Oilers later this week.
