Preseason Preview: Flames @ Oilers

Calgary Flames @ Edmonton Oilers -

24 SEP 2011 – 6:00 MDT

Lines and a healthy does of malaise after the jump

Your Oilers Tonight – Lines courtesy 630 CHED

Hall – Nugent-Hopkins – Hartikainen
Jones – Gagner – Keller
Green -  Belanger – Pitlick
Tyrvainen – Lander – Martindale

Barker – Tulupov
Sutton – Gilbert
Peckham – Petry

Khabibulin

Danis

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• Your first rounders will be together for a test run on line one.  Teemu Hartikainen helps fill out the top line.
• I beat a dead horse like no one on the Internet.  That being said, we’ve got another round of Nikolai Khabibulin for what likely will be half a game.  You’re only as good as your last start, so let’s see what you’ve got in the tank, Khabi.  Another performance of .700 SV% will likely turn whatever whispers you might hear into loud voices.
• Every time I see Kirill Tulupov’s name, I can’t help think how angry Ben Eager has got to be.

That hit is what’s keeping Eager out of the lineup as he continues to recover from a concussion and whiplash.  Tulupov is going to be paired up with new Oiler Cam Barker on line one.  You’ll also see Andy Sutton in his first Oiler action tonight.

•  Belanger starts tonight as the 3C  – a position he should open up as when the season starts.  Anton Lander is tonight’s 4, where he’ll try and work some magic with Antti Tyrvainen and Ryan Martindale.
• Look for Sam Gagner to keep up with his performance at the dot tonight.  Gagner was a faceoff machine against the Canucks the other night.  While I’m very happy with a faceoff win percentage of 50 or more, Gagner finished well, well above that total.

Join us on Twitter after the game tonight, where we’ll be pouring waves of celebratory shots if the goaltending holds up.

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