Preview: Mikael Backlund and the Flames look to take the final Battle Of Alberta at Rexall Place

Calgary Flames @ Edmonton Oilers, 10 PM ET, Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta

The Flames roll into Rexall Place for the final time this season……and ever. The Battle of Alberta finishes up for the 2015-16 season as the Flames and Oilers duke it out for the right to stay out of last place. While this arena has no doubt seen some epic regular season and playoff battles over the years, lately it's been the battle to stay out of the basement and tonight is no exception. Calgary sits 3 points ahead of the Oilers who are in dead last in the Western Conference and a win tonight would keep it that way. The Flames are probably happy to see this building go away seeing they are 56-64-10 when heading up the road to Edmonton. Calgary is, however, 8-2 in their last 10 games at Rexall, so the tide is turning. Neither team is exactly tearing it up as of late. The Oilers come into tonight's game having dropped 4 out of their last 5. The Flames? The exact same record 1-4 in their last 5. Who's excited!? With all the memories the Flames and Oilers have made over the years at Rexall, Calgary winning the final Battle of Alberta at Rexall Place would be pretty sweet. Here's how the teams match-up:

The Flames last played Thursday night and were blanked by the LA Kings 3-0. Mikael Backlund had a goal late in the game that should have been a goal, but replay apparently didn’t agree with Bob Hartley and the Flames. LA scored 2 early goals to put the Flames in a hole that they couldn’t climb out of. Joni Ortio was back in net and stopped 26 of 29 shots. Here’s the highlights:

The Oilers last played WAY back on Monday and lost to the Anaheim Ducks 2-1. Cam Talbot stopped 23 of 25 shots he faced and Nail Yakupov scored his 7th of the season in the loss. Here’s the highlights:

Starting Goalies

Calgary Flames

Joni Ortio (projected starter): 5-9-4, GAA: 2.77, SV% .903

Edmonton Oilers

Cam Talbot (projected starter): 20-26-4, GAA: 2.51, SV% .918

Players To Watch

Calgary Flames: Mark Giordano, 1 goal and 4 assists in last 5 games.

Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid, 1 goal, 5 assists in last 5 games.

Injuries

Calgary Flames: Karri Ramo, Dennis Wideman, Ladislav Smid, Michael Frolik

Edmonton Oilers: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Adam Pardy, Brandon Davidson, Benoit Pouliot, Eric Gryba, Andrew Ference, Oscar Klefbom

by Mark Parkinson