CALGARY Nyheim Hines Jersey , Alberta — Although both the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames have been eliminated from playoff contention, bragging rights will still be on the line when the two teams face off against each other on Saturday at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

After the Oilers (34-38-6) won the first three games of the season series this season, the Flames (35-33-10) skated to a 1-0 victory over their provincial rivals in Calgary on March 13.

“It’s always fun,” said Oilers goalie Cam Talbot in regards to the Battle of Alberta. “The rivalry brings a different element every time. You know it’s going to be an intense game out there and not a whole lot of space (as) you can see from the previous matchups this year.

“Neither one of us are where we want to be in the standings. It brings a different element and just that intense matchup every night.”

While the Oilers have lost three straight games, the Flames have dropped seven straight decisions since blanking their northern counterparts 17 days earlier.

“There’s pride on the line, and especially this next game against the Oilers,” Flames forward Curtis Lazar told the Calgary Herald. “You never want to lose to our provincial rivals, so that’s an easy game to get up for.

“I think if we can just get back to playing a simple, solid and effective 60 minutes, that will do wonders for our hockey club. The bottom line is we’re banged up and the mood is not where it should be, and rightfully so just because we’re out of it, but you have to find a way to salvage something.”

After Edmonton dropped a 2-1 decision in Vancouver to the Canucks on Thursday Jason Spriggs Jersey , forward Leon Draisaitl told reporters that the Oilers have to “just focus on the next game and come out with the same intensity.”

Prior to their three-game skid that started last Sunday with a 5-4 overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks at home, the Oilers had won three straight games and four of five.

“For the most chunk of our games lately have been really good,” Draisaitl said. “We had a few where we weren’t as sharp. Even (against the Canucks), I thought we could have won that game. We competed and battled really hard.”

Although his team has lost seven in a row, Calgary coach Glen Gulutzan didn’t think his team played that badly up until Thursday’s 5-1 setback to the Columbus Blue Jackets on home ice.

“There’s six of those games where I thought we worked our tails off,” Gulutzan said. “Our effort’s been there. (Thursday) was the first dip that I saw in our group as far as I didn’t think we were quite ready in the first 10 minutes to go. We got going after that, but too little, too late. We’re decimated (due to injuries to forwards Sean Monahan and Matthew Tkachuk and defensemen TJ Brodie and Travis Hamonic) with some skill here and that’s hard on the guys.”

The Flames may get leading scorer Johnny Gaudreau back in the lineup against the Oilers

“We’re not expecting it, but there’s a chance,” said Gulutzan in regards to Gaudreau, who was heading back to Calgary on Friday from New Jersey where his father, Guy Gaudreau Vernon Davis Jersey , is recovering after suffering a cardiac event last Sunday. “First things first with what’s going on there. Their family went through something real significant and it looks like they’re going to come out hopefully better on the other side. We just wanted to make sure he’s good there first.”

Bryce Harper had a chance to shine in front of his home fans during the All-Star break, and he took advantage by winning the Home Run Derby .

Then it was back to reality for Harper and the Washington Nationals, who will need to turn things around soon if they want to avoid a disappointing season.

After hosting the All-Star festivities, Washington split two home games against NL East rival Atlanta, with a postponement in between. In a loss Friday night, the Nationals’ frustration seemed evident when star pitchers Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg had a heated exchange in the dugout. Even after a win Sunday, Washington is six games behind first-place Philadelphia and five behind the Braves, who are in position for the second wild card.

Harper has taken a lot of the heat for Washington’s underachieving, and his .218 batting average certainly sticks out. But he does have 24 homers and a .366 on-base percentage, so it’s not as though his offensive approach has completely fallen apart.

Harper is one of a handful of players on contending teams who may be primed for big improvements in the second half this year – and who could still have a big impact on the postseason races. Here are a few others:

– Jon Gray, Rockies. Gray may be baseball’s biggest enigma at the moment. He’s averaging 11.33 strikeouts per nine innings, the second-best mark in the National League Allen Robinson Jersey , but he’s just 8-7 with a 5.44 ERA. A .381 batting average on balls in play is a major culprit in his struggles, so he could be a good bet to turn things around, but the Rockies were sufficiently concerned that they sent him down to the minors briefly before the break. After returning, he pitched impressively into the eighth inning against Seattle on July 14.

Colorado made the postseason last year and is currently just two games behind the NL West-leading Dodgers, so if Gray pitches well down the stretch, the Rockies could remain in the mix again.

– Nick Pivetta and Vince Velasquez, Phillies. The rest of the NL East better hope these two don’t hit their stride any time soon. They’ve both struck out nearly as many hitters as staff ace Aaron Nola, despite significantly fewer innings. But consistency has been elusive. Pivetta has been strong with the exception of two awful starts against the Nationals in which he allowed a total of 13 runs in 2 2/3 innings. Velasquez gave up 10 runs against Milwaukee on June 8 but has held opponents to two or fewer in five of his six starts since then.

– Kyle Seager, Mariners. Seattle has a solid shot to make the postseason, but its steady third baseman may be having the worst offensive year of his career. He’s hitting just .233 with an unsightly .284 on-base percentage. If the season ended now, the Mariners would be a wild card, but they’re in this position largely because of a 26-12 record in one-run games. Their margin for error appears thin.

Other developments from around the majors:

BUY OR SELL?

The trade market is active with the deadline looming. Manny Machado went from Baltimore to the Dodgers http://www.chicagobearsteamonline.com/prince-amukamara-jersey , while the Athletics and Indians acquired relievers Jeurys Familia and Brad Hand , respectively. The teams giving up those three players – the Orioles, Mets and Padres – are all in last place, but it will be interesting to see how some of the borderline contenders approach the deadline.

That’s especially true in the NL, where 11 of the 15 teams are at .500 or better – but nobody has a winning percentage higher than .592. A lot of teams could theoretically make a push for the postseason, but only five can get in.

HIGHLIGHT

Sunday’s game was already going badly for Milwaukee when infielder Hernan Perez came on to pitch in the seventh inning against the Dodgers. Perez actually made it through two scoreless innings, but his attempt to change speeds against Austin Barnes was laughable. Perez threw a pitch clocked at 48 miles per hour that hit Barnes in the back.

Perez retired six of the next seven hitters after that.

LINE OF THE WEEK

Matt Carpenter of St. Louis hit three home runs and two doubles Friday, tying the major league record for extra-base hits in a game and driving in seven runs in an 18-5 victory over the Chicago Cubs. That was part of a six-game homer streak for Carpenter that ended Sunday.

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