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Calgary Flames 5 - Edmonton Oilers 1
The Flames and Oilers met last night in the first Battle Of Alberta for the 2019-20 season and the Flames easily defeated Edmonton by the score of 5-1. The Flames scored early, taking a 2-1 lead into the second and then scored three unanswered goals to blow past the Oilers in their own building, moving the Flames into third place in the division and just one point behind Vegas and Arizona for the top spot.
The Flames out shot the Oilers on the night and took full advantage of some shaky Edmonton goaltending to hammer their provincial rivals. David Rittich was masterful, stopping 28 of the 29 shots that came his way, while his opponents at the other end struggled. Mikko Koskinen surrendered four goals on 24 shots and was chased from the game after Elias Lindholm’s 16th of the season. Mike Smith fared slightly better, surrendering one goal on seven shots.
The Flames also got another offensive outburst, scoring 5 goals for the second time in three games. Mikael Backlund, Andrew Mangiapane, Matthew Tkachuk, Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm each scored to pace the Flames.
Tidbits
-Like Early Goals?: Yes you do and so do the Flames. Calgary scored 11 seconds into the first period and then 1:08 into the second period and then 57 seconds into the third.
-Mangia, Mangia, Mangia!: Andrew Mangiapane notched his first three point game of his career with a goal and two helpers. It’s also the third multi point game of his career, the second this season.
-Two In A Row: The Flames win last night was the second straight time the Flames have defeated Edmonton in their first meeting of season. Prior to 2018-19 they has lost three straight.
Highlights
Post Game Reaction
"Any time you can score as quickly in periods as we did, it's helpful."
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) December 28, 2019
Geoff Ward assesses his team's performance in the 5-1 win over the Oilers. pic.twitter.com/NqxYXJHY3S
"Guys did a really good job and they didn't get too much on me ... I'm taking those two points and going home."
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) December 28, 2019
David Rittich talks about his team's play in front of him in the 5-1 victory over the Oilers. pic.twitter.com/XxnlXSfCS5
"That first shift set the tempo for us."
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) December 28, 2019
Andrew Mangiapane talks about the team's play in Edmonton this evening. pic.twitter.com/qCM2wYcS1u
"It is nice when you score 11 seconds into the game."
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) December 28, 2019
Matthew Tkachuk shares his thoughts on the 5-1 win over the Oilers. pic.twitter.com/CBRLdf8Vh4