Game Day "Flames"

Tonight a "Battle" rages on that has enthralled the people of Alberta for years and produced more highlights and hate fisticuffs then Mike Tyson knockouts.

While it has been many years since we have seen both teams playing high end hockey at the same time, there is something about the "Battle of Alberta" that gets the juices going for every hockey fan in the west and every Edmonton or Calgary Hater regardless of their love for the game of hockey or not.

Growing up in the early 80's , I cringe now, knowing I hated the Oilers of that time. One of the best teams to play the game in the history of hockey and I had to grow up in Calgary being brainwashed by friends to be a Calgary Flame fan. But hey, I had 1986 and 1989 right? It's all fun! Every since the last of the great players left for New York, I started taking to the Oilers like a 'Bee to honey'. Only problem is? There has not been a lot of sweetness to the honey, I call the Edmonton Oilers, in a long time.

Other then the great run for Lord Stanley in 2006, our great city of Edmonton has been dying to get back, even putting up with two 30th place finishes, only to land Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Very nice consolation prize if I say so myself. Great drafting by Stu and his crew and the cupboards in the house are looking real full with tons of potential.

3 hours south of us, the Calgary Flames are finding themselves in a familiar spot the Oilers faced a few years ago. They still have more then the Oilers did, when things started to fall apart, but a GM who seems to get offended quite easy just may not be the one who leads them back to the Holy Grail one day. Tanking it doesn't work? Okay, I understand not losing on purpose but c'mon start developing and bringing in younger , newer talent. Calgary has a chance at some nice top end talent of potential superstars in the next two drafts. If they were able say, to grab a combination of Nail Yakupov RW this year and Nathan MacKinnon C the following year? Both are considered generational talents. What about Grigorenko C this year and Monohan the following? The list goes on and on...

Personally, I don't want the Flames to get any of those players, but they are knocking on those doors real close. In the meantime the 'fragile' Flames will do battle with the 'rising' Oilers in a contest that is pretty closely matched in all ways. These two teams are now both at stages that any team could win. Both are at different stages, but both still have the desire and push to win. I say "Let the Games begin!"

Go Oilers!

My predictions for today's game at Rexall Place

Gametime 8:00pm CHED630am/CBC

REV'S Edmonton Oiler

Gameday Predictions Dec 3rd/11

1. Will be at least 1 scrap tonight, afterall this is the battle of alberta

2. Oilers will be trying to dominate a weaker , depleted defence core tonight. Big win for the Oil!

3. Was actually a quiet game for RNH in the highlight department. A couple steals, couple blocks, another assist and good sticks in the lanes, ho hum....CBC game last week was a wreck for his stats so I expect him to rise to the bright lights again this week. RNH will continue to help this PP click but most important he continues his point scoring tonight.

4. The Oilers will keep the goals against to no more then 3 allowed tonight.

5. Belanger will top the 55% FO total tonight

(EV'S PREDICTIONS TO DATE: 61 for 104=58.6%)

5 for 5 prediction last night, doubt that will happen too often. Takes alot for that to happen. Maybe when I can nail 5 for 5 , 5 times in a row it will be time for sports select? Think not!

As the great Ed Whalen used to say "In the meantime and in between time, that's it, for another edition of...REV'S PREDICTION" (bolded words are not Whalen's words)

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