Oilers at Flames
The Calgary Flames attempt to bounce back from their first shutout loss when they host the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night in this season's fourth installment of the Battle of Alberta. The Flames have dominated their provincial rivals, winning the previous three meetings by a combined 13-6 to extend their winning streak in the series to five games. Calgary is clinging to a one-point lead over Los Angeles for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
The Flames had won five of six before they were blanked by visiting Minnesota 1-0 on Thursday night. The Oilers, who have a Western Conference-low 35 points, have won three of their last four following a 3-2 victory over Buffalo on Thursday in a matchup of the league's two worst teams. Edmonton, which had lost 14 straight on the road before back-to-back wins at Florida and Washington entering the All-Star break, will play eight of its next nine away from home.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, CBC, TVA
ABOUT THE OILERS (13-27-9): Anton Landon broke a goal drought of more than two years by scoring one and collecting a pair of assists in Thursday's game. Landon's three-point game surpassed his total from the previous two seasons combined and his goal was his first since Jan. 17, 2012. "He was exceptional, by far the best player on the ice," Edmonton coach Todd Nelson said of the former second-round draft pick. "I've been working with him every year since he came over from Europe, so I think that helps. He's really improved his game."
ABOUT THE FLAMES (26-20-3): Calgary center Paul Byron had a hot streak in mid-November, scoring four goals in a four-game span, but he has been in a deep freeze since. Byron is mired in a 28-game goalless drought and wasted a glittering chance to tie Thursday's game when he was stopped on a breakaway late in the third period. "This has never happened to me in my life before," Byron said. "Normally, I used to be pretty good on breakaways. Eventually, one of them is going to go in. I know one is going to go in."
OVERTIME
1. Flames G Jonas Hiller is 15-4-1 with a 1.98 goals-against average versus Edmonton.
2. Oilers LW Taylor Hall (leg) is day-to-day while D Nikita Nikitin (shoulder) is expected to be sidelined for "quite some time."
3. Both teams are struggling on the power play: Calgary is 2-for-31 in January and Edmonton is 1-for-16 in the past four games.