Music: {allcanada} OILERS (13-27-9) at FLAMES (26-20-3)

Friday, January 30, 2015

{allcanada} OILERS (13-27-9) at FLAMES (26-20-3)

Saturday, January 31, 2015

10:00 PM ET

OILERS (13-27-9) at FLAMES (26-20-3)

TV: CBC, TVA SPORTS

Season series: The Calgary Flames are 3-0-0 against the Edmonton Oilers, with the most recent win 4-3 in overtime at Scotiabank Saddledome on Dec. 31. Flames forward Joe Colborne has three goals and three assists. Oilers goalie Ben Scrivens is 0-1-1 with a 3.52 goals-against average and .867 save percentage.

Oilers team scope: Edmonton has won three of its past four games and is 5-5-1 in January after a 3-2 victory against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. "We're ready to try to keep things going. We're on a bit of a run here, collected a few points over the last four or five games. It's a good test for our hockey team," coach Todd Nelson told the Oilers website Friday. Nelson said he doesn't expect defenseman Nikita Nikitin back for "quite some time" after leaving the game Thursday because of a shoulder injury. Keith Aulie, who has missed the past 11 games, will replace Nikitin in the lineup paired with Mark Fayne. Forward Taylor Hall, who is tied for the Oilers lead with 29 points, remains day-to-day because of a leg injury but will travel to Calgary. Forward Anton Lander has seven points in 11 games since being recalled from Oklahoma City of the American Hockey League on Jan. 1. The Oilers play eight of their next nine games on the road.

Flames team scope: Calgary is one point ahead of the Los Angeles Kings (55-54) for the second wild-card spot into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. "It's a dogfight right now and we're in playoff mode. We just have to go out there and win as many seven-game series as we can," forward Paul Byron told the Flames website Friday. A 1-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Thursday completed what coach Bob Hartley called "Segment No. 7" of the season. "We have five wins and two losses," Hartley said. "It's already behind us. We're starting another very important segment. We have five home games, two road games. That's where we're at. We always look at seven games. Tomorrow night we're starting against the Oilers. It's another big game." Goaltender Jonas Hiller will start. In two starts out of the All-Star break, Hiller has made 48 saves on 50 shots. The Flames play the fourth game of a six-game homestand Monday against the Winnipeg Jets.

Team Stats