NHL Preview: Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers face off in battle of Alberta
Both the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers kick off their seasons on Thursday when they square off in Edmonton.
The Flames look to be a team on the way down while last season's worst team, the Oilers, are hoping to a make a huge leap forward this season and believe that their young stars are ready to make the jump
to the NHL and bring the team back to the play-offs.
How they look
After making the play-offs for four straight seasons since the lockout, the Calgary Flames finished 10th overall in the Western Conference last season. And although they added some youth to the team by
adding Niklas Hagman, Matt Stajan, and Ian White in the trade that sent Dion Phaneuf to the Toronto Maple Leafs, during this most recent off-season the Flames baffled everybody by adding two former Flames whose best years appear to be behind them.
Alex Tanguay played for the Flames for two seasons between 2006 and 2008, while Olli Jokinen played in two partial seasons between 2008 and last season before he was shipped to the Rangers before the trade
deadline. Although Tanguay had his most productive season in his first year with the Flames, he struggled in his two most recent seasons with the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Olli Jokinen has struggled ever since he left the Florida Panthers
and never looked anywhere near the type of player he is capable of being while he was with the Flames. Still, these are the players, along with aging Jarome Iginla, on whose shoulders the hopes of the Calgary Flames rests. Despite their puzzling roster moves
the Flames were undefeated in pre-season.
Meanwhile, a few hundred kilometres to the north and there is a cause for real optimism in an Edmonton Oilers team on the rise. After finishing dead last in the NHL last season there is only one way to
go, and that is up.
With their youth movement in full effect, the Oilers boast three rookies they hope will compete for the Calder trophy this season. There is their first-overall pick from the 2010 draft, Taylor Hall, last
year's first round pick Magnus Paajarvi, and Edmonton's first round pick from two years ago Jordan Eberle. Edmonton Oilers coach Tom Renney will be hoping these additions will also improve the play and points scoring production of players like Dustin Penner,
Sam Gagner, Ales Hemsky, and Gilbert Brule – who many believe is ready for a breakout season.
Veteran Shawn Horcoff will be expected to lead the team in the locker room and on the ice. The Oilers will also be hoping that off-season acquisition Nikolai Khabibulin will be able to stabilize their
shaky goaltending situation but got off to a rocky start when he was convicted of a 30-day jail sentence for a DUI. He hwas since appealed.
What will happen
The Oilers will be optimistic that they can get off to a good start to the season and have a good opportunity to do so at home in their opener. The kids on the Oilers are still some games short of becoming
men and true NHLers, while the Flames boast more than their share. The bright lights of the big time will be too overwhelming this early for the young stars of Edmonton and the Flames will get a win while playing mediocre in the process.
Flames win 2-1.
Tags: