The Battle of Alberta resumes tonight from Rexall Place in Edmonton. Admittedly the last couple of years this has hardly been a battle, both teams have been on the downswing and seemingly sputtering along outside meaningful game land. Having said that, this writer still loves the Battle of Alberta, moreso now that both teams are garnering some young exciting players.

The most memorable moment of the past eight years is without a doubt when Jordan Eberle scored his first career goal against Calgary in Rexall Place. It was a beauty! (linked below should you wish to relive the moment)

http://video.oilers.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=77707&catid=4

Unfortunately it has been pretty much sputtering along since then, but the electricity in the building was something that hadn’t been experienced since the 2006 Playoff run.

Based on their respective positions in the standings you would think that both teams would be entering this game riding 10 game slumps, however Calgary enters this game 6-4-0 in their past 10 games, meanwhile Edmonton is 5-4-1 in their last 10. Neither records are earth shattering, but its strange to see the two last place teams in the Western Conference above .500 in their past 10.  Both teams should be active in the coming days leading up to the deadline as they try to offload cumbersome and expiring contracts and load up on draft picks.

Keys to the Game for the Oilers:

Bounce back: The Oilers didn’t have the effort level when they lost to the Minnesota Wild in their first game back from the Olympic break. They should be looking to come out with far more effort and jump from the get go. Expect a fight or two to get the fans into it off the hop.

Showcasing: For a lot of these guys these next couple games are their final chance to show playoff bound teams they are worth trading for. N. Schultz, Jones, Hemsky and Belov specifically. Earlier this week Hemsky had an interview and it was clear that he was excited about the opportunity to move on and experience a new organization, he can only help his stock by playing a strong game.

Motivated Play: This team has the tough task of playing motivated hockey games that are relatively non-important. They are not in the playoff run, and at this point the only motivating factors are one another, the fans and playing spoiler. They put themselves in this position, hopefully they don’t fizzle out, the fans deserve better.

Keys to the Game for the Flames:

Score Early: Getting on the Oilers early will be key to a victory for the Flames. If they can score one early it will alter the atmosphere of the building and turn the game in their favor. Look for the Flames to come out flying.

Cammalleri: Cammalleri is without a doubt the biggest trading chip the Flames have as the deadline moves closer. It came out earlier this week that Brian Burke had offered him a contract to remain a Flame, however it seems likely that at this point in his career he would be more interested in playing for a cup-contender. Expect him to be motivated and playing with a lot of jump.

Grind it out: Calgary is not as skilled as Edmonton, in order to keep up they will need to wear down the small skilled Oilers and make them play a physical game. Effort has not been an issue for the Flames this season and tonight will be no different.

Pre Game News:

Yakupov out: With Yakupov likely sitting this one out due to a minor foot injury suffered against Minnesota, it’ll be interesting to see the deployment of lines. Hemsky will likely get a chance with Nuge and Hall; meanwhile Perron will draw back in to the top 6 with Gagner and Eberle where he has had some success this season. Perron has been a great addition, though at times his streaky play has led to stretches of ineffectiveness. Hopefully by playing back in the top 6 he will have a strong performance.

Bryzgalov Starts: According to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune, the Oilers have offered Bryzgalov as an option for the Minnesota Wild as a post Ryan Miller trade option. Minnesota was in hard on Miller and with St. Louis winning the Miller sweepstakes the Wild have to look at their ‘b’ options. Whether or not Bryzgalov is attractive to them is debatable, but according to Russo Mact has offered him up. 

Ryan Miller Trade: The trade itself was inevitable; Miller was not going to be part of the Buffalo rebuild. However the expected return was significantly lower than what transpired. Buffalo did an excellent job offloading Miller for Chris Stewart and Jaro Halak. By grabbing Halak and Stewart, whoa re both on expiring contracts, it gives Buffalo plenty of options moving towards the deadline. Should they choose they can immediately flip both Stewart and Halak to playoff bound teams for even more rebuilding assets. The timing of the trade works in their favor immensely as well as it gives the Sabres organization time to gauge the interest of Halak and Stewart in joining the Sabres long-term. If neither is willing to do so both will be flipped before the Trade Deadline comes on March 5th. This was an incredible deal for the Sabres in this writer’s humble opinion.

Prediction for the game: There will be 3 fights, 8 goals and a lot of back and forth as both teams try to prove they aren’t the worst in the West. 5-3 the Flames escape with the victory.