:flames: @ 
ilers: Preview and is available for view here: CBC (HD),NHLN-US with a TV start time of 8:00pm MDT.
Season series -- Edmonton and Calgary split last year's season series, with the Flames taking a 4-1 win to salvage the tie in their last meeting on April 11, 2009.
Big Story -- While the Flames already opened their schedule on Thursday, hockey season may as well not be underway in Calgary until they've faced the Oilers. Edmonton's opener on Saturday night marks the first act of this year's renewal of the Battle of Alberta.
Team Scope:
Flames: With new coach Brent Sutter coming back to his home province of Alberta, many expect the Flames to be among the cream of the West's crop, and Calgary looked the part early in its opener Thursday against Vancouver. The Flames put four pucks past elite goaltender Roberto Luongo to take a commanding lead, but a late rally by the Canucks gave some cause for concern. With opening night jitters out of the way, and the early nerves settled for Calgary, another late game slip would seem unlikely. The lead may not have held against Vancouver were it not for the heroics of all-world netminder Miikka Kiprusoff. Kipper made a number of major stops against a team many consider to be a top threat to take the Northwest Division crown. With Kiprusoff playing to that level on a nightly basis, Calgary could be primed to make a strong start to the year.
Oilers: After a season that was expected to see the Oilers return to the playoffs, things went south in a hurry. After letting coach Craig MacTavish go following a third straight spring of early tee times, the Oil revamped and recharged in the offseason, bringing in Pat Quinn behind the bench and signing the ageless Nikolai Khabibulin away from Chicago to stand between the pipes. Edmonton's biggest offseason story may have been a splash that wasn't, as a deal to bring in Dany Heatley from Ottawa was nixed by the disgruntled winger. But with an ever maturing stable of flashy young playmakers like Sam Gagner and Andrew Cogliano gaining more experience, the Oilers may yet climb their way back to the top eight. The responsibility for that will fall on Quinn's shoulders, and he can handle the weight. Saturday's opener will be his first chance to prove it.
ilers: Preview and is available for view here: CBC (HD),NHLN-US with a TV start time of 8:00pm MDT.Season series -- Edmonton and Calgary split last year's season series, with the Flames taking a 4-1 win to salvage the tie in their last meeting on April 11, 2009.
Big Story -- While the Flames already opened their schedule on Thursday, hockey season may as well not be underway in Calgary until they've faced the Oilers. Edmonton's opener on Saturday night marks the first act of this year's renewal of the Battle of Alberta.
Team Scope:
Flames: With new coach Brent Sutter coming back to his home province of Alberta, many expect the Flames to be among the cream of the West's crop, and Calgary looked the part early in its opener Thursday against Vancouver. The Flames put four pucks past elite goaltender Roberto Luongo to take a commanding lead, but a late rally by the Canucks gave some cause for concern. With opening night jitters out of the way, and the early nerves settled for Calgary, another late game slip would seem unlikely. The lead may not have held against Vancouver were it not for the heroics of all-world netminder Miikka Kiprusoff. Kipper made a number of major stops against a team many consider to be a top threat to take the Northwest Division crown. With Kiprusoff playing to that level on a nightly basis, Calgary could be primed to make a strong start to the year.
Oilers: After a season that was expected to see the Oilers return to the playoffs, things went south in a hurry. After letting coach Craig MacTavish go following a third straight spring of early tee times, the Oil revamped and recharged in the offseason, bringing in Pat Quinn behind the bench and signing the ageless Nikolai Khabibulin away from Chicago to stand between the pipes. Edmonton's biggest offseason story may have been a splash that wasn't, as a deal to bring in Dany Heatley from Ottawa was nixed by the disgruntled winger. But with an ever maturing stable of flashy young playmakers like Sam Gagner and Andrew Cogliano gaining more experience, the Oilers may yet climb their way back to the top eight. The responsibility for that will fall on Quinn's shoulders, and he can handle the weight. Saturday's opener will be his first chance to prove it.
