Calgary Flames 2 - Edmonton Oilers 5

Complete Stats

1st: EDM 13:08- Ryan (Foegele/Kassian), EDM 17:29- PPG McDavid (Puljujarvi/Draisaitl)

2nd: EDM 5:33- PPG McDavid (Nurse/Nugent-Hopkins), CGY 9:19- Mangiapane (Unassisted)

3rd: CGY 5:03- PPG Lindholm (Tkachuk/Andersson), EDM 5:29- Puljujarvi (Ceci/Draisaitl), EDM 18:23- McDavid (Puljujarvi/Draisaitl)

Well, it was an “interesting” first Battle Of Alberta to start the season, that’s for sure. Calgary came out and instead of trying to go goal for goal with the Oilers, they’ve decided to go punch for punch and failed at both. Edmonton was able to frustrate the Flames early in the first period, getting them all out of sorts and it worked to the Oilers advantage.

Former Flame Derek Ryan would get a fluke goal thanks to a weird bounce and Edmonton took a quick 1-0 lead. That would be followed by two straight power play goals by Connor McDavid where Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin both forgot about the best hockey player on the planet standing behind them and it was 3-0 Edmonton.

Calgary got on the board thanks to Andrew Mangiapane and his hard work. Out of all the Flames players on the ice, #88 had been flying and his goal pulled the Flames within two goals at 3-1 during the second frame. That goal was a product of a MUCH better and more focused Flames team in the second. Even though they hit the locker room down 3-1 after two they looked like a different team on the ice. Gone were the first period foolish scrums and flexing bravado and Calgary were dangerous for good parts of the period, outshooting the Oilers 18-9.

As with all things Flames, Calgary got everyone’s hopes up in the third period with a PPG off the stick of Elias Lindholm. A nice feed from Matthew Tkachuk would allow Lindholm to get the Flames within a goal and there was hope. And then there wasn’t. As quickly as the Flames pulled within a goal the Oilers doused those hopes. Jesse Puljujarvi would come streaking in on a breakaway, beating Nikita Zadorov, Chris Tanev and finally Jacob Markstrom to put the Oilers up 4-2. Connor McDavid would deposit an empty net goal with under two minutes left, giving him a hat trick and the Oilers a 5-2 victory.

Highlights

Andrew Mangiapane scores the Flames first of the season

Elias Lindholm gets the Flames within a goal

Final Thoughts

-The Flames were a team of periods: knuckleadheads and ineffective for most of the first. Focused and playing hockey in the second. And whatever that third period was. Another night, another uneven, less than 60 minute performance from the Flames.

-Jacob Markstrom wasn’t at fault for much of anything tonight. A bad bounce. Terrible defence on Edmonton’s PP. And a breakaway. He came up with some huge stops to keep the Flames within striking distance, stopping 28 of the 32 shots that came his way. Stop me if you’ve heard that before.

-Where the Flames did excel was in putting pucks on net. Calgary had three periods of 10 or more shots with 18 in the second being the high water mark. That was something of a concern as the Flames were exactly pounding opposing goalies with shots last season or this preseason, but 47 SOG is a great start. Two goals, not so much.

-Calgary has now lost 12 straight on opening night and are 2-17-2 in their last 21. Gross.

Flame Of The Game

Photo by Codie McLachlan/Getty Images

Andrew Mangiapane: 1 goal, 3 SOG