Oilers, Flames Look for Much-Needed Win in Battle of Alberta

The Calgary Flames take on the Edmonton Oilers for the fourth time this season on Saturday night with the Flames breaking in a new (old) coach. Darryl Sutter is back for his second stint as Flames coach after Geoff Ward was fired on Thursday. Sutter is stepping behind the bench for the first time since the 2016-2017 season with the L.A Kings.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The game opened with the Oilers as favorites at -139 and the line has shifted down to the -121 to -130 range. The total opened at 6.5 and has stayed at that number with the UNDER favored in the -110 to -123 range.

Calgary News & Notes

Before firing their coach, the Flames traded blowouts in a four-game series with the Senators, winning 7-3 and 6-3 and losing 6-1 and 5-1. However, the Flames had fewer chances and fewer high-danger scoring chances at even strength than the Sens in three of the four games.

It has been a trend of late – which likely led to the firing – for the Flames to get out-chanced. Calgary had fewer high-danger chances than its opponents in eight of its last 12 games and rank fifth in the league with 134 high-danger chances against since February 1. The Flames have also allowed the fifth-most even strength goals pver that span.

And while offensive chances have not been much of a problem for the Flames (ranking eighth in high-danger chances this season) they have had to rely on their depth at times as their top players have not been great. No player on the team is at a point-per-game pace or better and none have more than eight goals through 23 games.

Edmonton News & Notes

The Edmonton Oilers beat the Flames in two of their three meetings this season, winning those two games by a combined score of 9-2. But the team’s success against the Flames this season should not overshadow their play in recent games.

The Oilers have lost three straight games by a combined score of 13-1, all to Toronto, and the team’s top players have gone radio silent. The lone goal scored by the Oilers in that three-game series was assisted by Leon Draisaitl, meaning the top two scorers in the league (Draisaitl and McDavid) have one point combined over the last three games.

The goaltending will also need to get back on track if the Oilers want to continue the winning ways they had in weeks passed. Mikko Koskinen was pulled after allowing three goals on 10 shots in the second game against Toronto while Mike Smith allowed 10 goals in his two starts.