OILERS BURN FLAMES 8-3 ON FIGHT NIGHT

CALGARY – A good start and a strong finish propelled the Edmonton Oilers to an 8-3 win over the Calgary Flames on Saturday.

The Oilers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead and extended it to three before the Flames rallied in the second period. Edmonton then reeled off four unanswered goals to earn their first win over the Flames (27-20-6) in four tries this season.

Connor McDavid scored twice and Kailer Yamamoto had a goal and an assist for the Oilers (28-18-6), who have won two straight games since losing 4-3 in a shootout at home to the Flames on Wednesday.

“When we start better, we start on time,” said Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl, who chipped in four assists. “We’ve lost a few games against them this season so we wanted to come out strong and come out fast.”

Draisaitl also took the time to share his thoughts on Rittich’s stick-flip celebration following his shootout-winning save against the NHL’s leading scorer when the Oilers and Flames met last Wednesday.

“It’s just disrespectful,” Draisaitl said. “We hit two posts and he’s celebrating like they just won the Stanley Cup. Just show some respect, that’s my opinion.”

Mike Smith, who spent the last two seasons as Rittich’s teammate in Calgary, acknowledged that the pair have on-going relationship but did admit the Flames netminder took things too far.

“What goes around comes around,” said Smith.

Zack Kassian, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Caleb Jones, Sam Gagner and Gaetan Haas also scored, while Smith made 15 saves to record the win before being ejected from the game with 24 seconds left in the second period for a secondary fight with Flames netminder Cam Talbot.

Mikko Koskinen played the final 20:24 of the game in net for the Oilers and stopped all eight shots he faced.

“They’ve kind of took it to us the last three times we’ve played them,” added Smith, who signed with the Oilers on July 1 after playing the previous two seasons with the Flames. “I feel like we hadn’t played our best game against Calgary yet. Tonight was a lot better.”

Buddy Robinson, Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk scored for the Flames, while Mark Giordano had two assists.

“We allowed their best players to really feel it tonight and that was the difference,” Giordano said. “When they’re getting chances, they’re a really dangerous team and we didn’t do a good enough job of eliminating odd-man rushes and zone time. It felt like they had a lot of space out there tonight.”

David Rittich started in net for Calgary, but was pulled 3:18 into the second period after allowing four goals on 17 shots. Talbot made 21 saves in a relief appearance before being ejected from the game for the secondary fight with Smith. Rittich then went back in net and made nine more saves.

Tempers flared with 24 seconds left before the second intermission when Gagner poked a puck that was under Talbot into the net.

Although the goal was immediately waved off, several skirmishes broke out including a fight between Tkachuk and Ethan Bear and another at centre ice between Smith and Talbot.

“In a game like that, it kinds of sets you off and I reacted accordingly – probably not the smartest reaction on my part, but it is a highly emotional game and my emotions got the best of me,” Talbot said.

Smith didn’t like seeing Talbot mix it up with his teammates so he skated out to the red line.

“Old fashioned hockey right there,” Smith said. ‘Obviously Talbot gets in there and mixes up a little bit, throws some blockers. I didn’t really like that. I was just seeing what was happening there. He obliged.”

The teams were subsequently sent to their respective rooms and the remaining 24 seconds were played just prior to the start of the third period.

The Oilers scored the only two goals of the third as Gagner snapped a shot that fooled Rittich shortside at 13:16, before Haas scored on a penalty shot with 1:57 remaining in regulation.

(Canadian Press)