It’s an odd winter sports event, the Edmonton Oiler’s last home playoff game.
And with the team’s schedule now a mess, it’s not looking good.
But the team will try to turn it around with a big game against the Calgary Flames on Saturday night at Rexall Place.
That’s where the schedule will be a little bit more manageable.
Edmonton has to play at home for the first time since May 2, when it lost in Calgary in seven games.
It’ll be a chance for a bit of stability, especially with a busy spring ahead.
The Oilers are coming off a 7-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks, their first defeat of the season.
That loss ended their playoff hopes.
The loss was a setback for the Oilers, who finished 5-10-1.
Now they’re hoping to bounce back and win their third straight, if not their fourth.
The Flames, meanwhile, are in the midst of a two-game losing streak, falling 3-2 to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday.
Their last win was a 6-4 shootout loss to Vancouver on Feb. 21.
The Wild, meanwhile are 3-4-1 in the past seven games, and are 2-3-0 in the first two games.
That could be the perfect storm to help them make a playoff push.
Calgary is 2-6-1 at home, and 3-5-2 overall.
It has lost five of six at Rexal, which is home to the Oilers.
The team is 5-6 at Rexals, and is 8-1-0 on the road.
The Blue Jackets are 3 of 8 in the last eight meetings, and 1 of 9 overall.
That gives them a 3.7 percent chance to win the Stanley Cup, which would be the first in franchise history.
Calgary has a two percent chance at the Cup.
That would be a first since the 1998-99 Calgary Flames were tied for first.
They’ve also won four straight games, including a 5-2 win over Nashville on Saturday.
It’s been a slow start to the season for the Flames, who’ve gone 1-8-1 since Jan. 6.
Their record this season is 27-21-7, and they’re just 2-9-2 on the power play.
Edmonton, on the other hand, is 10-3, including 10 of 14 on the penalty kill.
Calgary hasn’t won four consecutive games since Jan, 2010, and has been outscored 34-27 in the final period.
The Avs have been outshot 31-21 in that span.
They’re 3 of 7 on the man advantage and have given up five goals in the third period of the Oilers game.
Calgary scored three goals in a span of 1:29 of the third, tying a franchise record.
It was the first such goal in the NHL since Jan., 2016, when San Jose scored three in 2:11 of the second.
