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Oilers-Flames Preview

Jan 29, 2010 - 5:55 PM By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN STATS Senior Writer

Edmonton (16-30-6) at Calgary (26-20-8), 10:00 p.m. EDT

Fans in Alberta will finally see one of the province's NHL teams win Saturday night.

The Calgary Flames will try to end their nine-game losing streak and hand the Edmonton Oilers a 13th straight loss in the final meeting of the season between the provincial rivals.

Calgary (26-20-8) is 0-6-3 since a 3-2 shootout win over Vancouver on Jan. 9. The Flames are enduring their longest losing streak since dropping 11 straight during December and January of the 1985-86 season.

Those problems pale in comparison to what Edmonton (16-30-2) is going through. The Oilers' 38 points are the fewest in the league and their 0-10-2 slide is approaching the franchise-record winless streak of 14 games set in 1993.

"Nobody here wants to lose," Oilers goalie Jeff Deslauriers said. "I don't care if it is two in a row, or three in a row, or four in a row, much less this."

The Flames have to be considered the favorites Saturday since they are in position to sweep the season series from the Oilers for the first time. Calgary is 5-0, with Miikka Kiprusoff starting four times and posting a 2.21 goals-against average.

Kiprusoff is coming off shootout losses on back-to-back nights, 4-3 in Dallas on Wednesday and 3-2 at Phoenix on Thursday. The Flames rallied from a 2-0 deficit against the Coyotes to salvage a point.

"We got down 2-0 and we battled back to tie it up and got some quality scoring chances in the third," coach Brent Sutter said. "We just couldn't get that third goal, and when it goes to the shootout anything can happen."

Mikael Backlund tied the game in the third period with his first goal in his third NHL game. The 2007 first-round pick was recalled from the minors Tuesday.

"We had to be desperate because we'd lost the last eight games, but I don't think we played as well before we got behind and really picked it up," Backlund said. "If we play at that level for a whole game, this team will start winning games quickly."

Flames star Jarome Iginla ended his 11-game goal drought in Wednesday's loss and failed to score Thursday. He hasn't scored in his last seven games against the Oilers, and has only one assist against his hometown team this season.

Edmonton's skid began with a 2-1 loss at Calgary on Dec. 31 in the last meeting. The Oilers have scored 23 goals in the last 12 games, completing a winless four-game homestand with Thursday's 2-1 loss to St. Louis.

Dustin Penner had the lone goal for Edmonton, which has dropped 19 of 20. The Oilers had a 10-1 edge in shots on goal in the third period, but the Blues scored on their lone shot while Edmonton came up empty.

"The team played hard and did a lot of good things," coach Pat Quinn said. "We only give up that one shot and it happens to be a goal. It's those types of situations that have prolonged this. There isn't a soul in our room that doesn't hate this."

Edmonton has scored a total of six goals during a six-game road losing streak.