Oilers’ Power Play Dominates Battle of Alberta as Edmonton Tops Calgary

CALGARY — The margin in the Battle of Alberta was not subtle. It was structural.

Edmonton’s power play dictated the night through constant motion, quick reads, and pressure that never allowed Calgary’s penalty killers to settle. The puck carrier was always moving, changing direction, pulling coverage apart. It was less about one look and more about forcing defenders into continuous decisions. Calgary never found its footing.

The Oilers were given five power-play opportunities. Against a unit built on pace and precision, that was too many.

Leon Draisaitl converted three times on the man advantage, completing a power-play hat trick, while Connor McDavid conducted the game with control and timing that bent coverage until it broke. Edmonton’s power play did not rely on static setups or stationary shooters. It flowed, reset, and attacked again, using movement as the primary weapon.

Calgary briefly responded at even strength when MacKenzie Weegar struck from the blue line late in the first period to level the score. It was a moment of pushback, but it did not shift the underlying momentum. Penalties continued to pile up, and Edmonton continued to capitalize.

By the third period, the game had tilted decisively. Edmonton extended its lead and closed with authority, turning discipline and execution into separation on the scoreboard.

The win marks Edmonton’s 19th of the season and pulls the Oilers into a tie for first place in the Pacific Division with Vegas and Anaheim at 44 points heading into the Christmas break. It is a position earned through consistency and reinforced by elite special teams.

For Calgary, the picture remains tight but complicated. The Flames sit at 15 wins and 34 points. They are only five points out of a playoff spot, but five teams stand between them and the final wild card position in the Western Conference. The math keeps them in the race. The margins leave little room for nights like this.

Discipline is not a detail against teams like Edmonton. It is the difference.

At the break, the standings show separation. On the ice, the power play made it unmistakable.

Canada vs USA Hockey: Olympic Orientation Camps Set Stage for Milan 2026 Gold Medal Showdown

CALGARY — The stage is set for one of the most anticipated Olympic hockey showdowns in decades.

With NHL players returning to the Games for the first time since 2014, both Canada and the United States are building rosters that could define a generation. Their orientation camps this month — USA in Plymouth, Michigan, and Canada in Calgary — revealed not just depth charts, but bold declarations about what’s at stake.

For Team USA, the message was crystal clear.
“The expectation is to go to Milan and win the gold medal,” Vegas Golden Knights star Jack Eichel said. “Anything short of that would be disappointing.”

Head coach Mike Sullivan doubled down. “We feel like the United States is at the pinnacle of the sport. We feel like we are every bit as good, if not better, than any country. These events give us the opportunity to prove it.”

The Americans haven’t touched Olympic gold since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice.” But hockey in the U.S. has grown massively in the decades since. Participation has tripled, and a roster led by Eichel, Auston Matthews, Adam Fox and Quinn Hughes is proof of a system that now churns out elite talent.

Meanwhile, north of the border, Canada flexed its own muscle. Hockey Canada’s orientation camp brought together a mix of legends and rising stars. Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon headline the forwards, while 18-year-old phenoms Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini represent the future. On defense, Cale Makar, Drew Doughty and Josh Morrissey add world-class skill on the back end.

“The depth is unmatched,” one Hockey Canada official said. “We believe we’re building a team that can defend Canada’s tradition of success at the Olympics.”

That tradition is heavy with hardware. Canada has won three of the five Olympic tournaments featuring NHL players: Salt Lake City in 2002, Vancouver in 2010 and Sochi in 2014. The only misstep came in 2006 at Turin, where Canada stumbled to seventh place.

The contrast between the two programs is striking. Canada arrives with proven winners — players with multiple Cups and gold medals. The U.S. brings hunger and belief that its time has finally come. General manager Bill Guerin still bristles at February’s overtime loss to Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off.
“That was emotional. That was hard,” Guerin said. “We can’t just sit here and say, ‘Hey, great job, it was close.’ That’s not good enough. We have to figure out a way to get over the hump.”

For Vancouver captain Quinn Hughes, the goal is non-negotiable.
“USA Hockey has put so much work in with youth programs and development. I feel like they’re starting to see dividends,” Hughes said. “It’s kind of gold or nothing, personally.”

The Olympics in Milan are still months away, but the tone has already been set. Canada vs. USA isn’t just about bragging rights this time. It’s about legacies. One country will leave with validation. The other, with bitter disappointment.