Lying in the middle of the dressing room floor in full gear, Zac Rinaldo delighted in the canine carnage.
Puppy-swarmed by a good chunk of 16 adoption-eligible fluffballs from the Cochrane Humane Society who had taken over the joint, the Flames winger became a human chew toy.
While Jerry nibbled on Rinaldo’s skate lace and Hank wrestled with Ebony in his arms, the cutest of a handful of tiny German shepherds licked his face.
“This,” said the rugged veteran, “is the best.”
A few feet away Johnny Gaudreau was on his knees, cuddling up with a trio of adorable furballs as Sean Monahan and Mikael Backlund did the same nearby.
If indeed the biggest game of the year is one sleep away against an Oilers team they’re deadlocked with, you wouldn’t have known it on Friday.
Four straight wins will do that for a team, as does the knowledge they were able to pound the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 when they first met two weeks ago.
The Oilers will come into this rematch feeling pretty good about themselves too, going 4-0-1 since the Calgary game, including a 3-0-1 road trip on which former Flames goalie Mike Smith played every game.
Rife with storylines and intrigue, Saturday’s Hockey Night in Canada tilt marks James Neal’s first trip back to Calgary since he was swapped out for Milan Lucic this summer.
While Flames fans are sure to be “Looing” every time he touches the puck, you can bet they’ll be booing every chance they get to welcome Neal back following an uninspiring, seven-goal season in Calgary that paid him $5.75 million.
The far bigger storyline Saturday could revolve around the possibility the starting netminders will include Cam Talbot and Smith, who both played on the other side of the Battle of Alberta last year.
“Smitty has played real well here lately but we’ve said all along we’re going to go with the guy who gives us the best chance to win every night, and we feel very confident in both guys,” said Oilers coach Dave Tippett at the Saddledome following an optional skate Friday.
Flames interim coach Geoff Ward’s comments were similar regarding a decision he’s glad is a tough one.
Despite the fact Talbot is coming off back-to-back wins allowing one goal apiece, the 32-year-old has yet to start three since signing as a free agent with the Flames this summer.
Ward is seriously contemplating using David Rittich, who stymied the Oilers their first meeting.
When Tippett was asked what he’d say if Smith came to him saying he, “wants this game,” the coach chuckled.
“Smitty comes to me every game and says he, ‘wants this game.’ – it would be just normal,” he laughed of the fiery 37-year-old who wasn’t re-signed by the Flames this summer after two years of service.
“Koskie (Mikko Koskinen) wants to play too.”
Tippett says he understands all the storylines surrounding players swapping sides on the Battle of Alberta, but he insists he isn’t interested in any of it.
“We’re interested in playing well and winning,” said the first-year Oilers boss, whose club arrived in Calgary following a comeback win in Montreal Thursday night.
“We’ve got a good trip going. I understand there are players who have played on each team, but once you get by a game those things all fade. Players are on their new team and if you look at the game tomorrow it has huge implications on the standings. Take the personalities outside of it and play for the team.”
The two Alberta teams have identical 24-17-5 records as part of a Pacific division race that has the top four teams separated by one point.
“They’re a team I think is going to be ready to play,” said Ward of an Oilers team that clearly wasn’t ready when they met the first game after Christmas.
“A tight division is good – that means every game for us forces us to play at a higher level and will ultimately make us a better team. You can’t go into this part of the season not being battle tested and recognizing what that looks like and how to react to it. The fact that the teams are this tight helps us with that. Ultimately down the stretch that’s what you need.”
But after Friday’s optional skate, what the Flames felt they really needed were puppies.
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