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Mayhem:  Fights, illegal hits, line brawls ... tempers flared with the Oilers and Flames playing their third of four preseason tilts.

The preseason essentially has two purposes.

Evaluation of talent, and preparation for the real season.

The Calgary Flames did a little of both on Friday night, turning the Edmonton Oilers back by a score of 4-2.

The new talent; recent acquisitions Chris Drury and Stephane Yelle, both made their first appearances in a Calgary uniform in a game that was memorable for their appearance as well as the on ice shenanigans.

Chris Drury scored a goal and added an assist while linemate Jarome Iginla also scored a goal and added two assists to pace the Flames.

Toni Lydman and Robyn Regehr also scored for the Flames, who moved their preseason record to 2-5-0, after a 0-4-0 start.

Janne Niinimaa and Dan Cleary scored for the Oilers.

The game featured a nasty first period that could see some further action from the NHL disciplinary man Colin Campbell. Denis Gauthier hit Oiler center Mike Comrie with a knee on knee hit, getting himself ejected from the game. Oiler radio accounts of the incident had the Flame defenceman convicted and sentenced on the spot while TV footage proved somewhat inconclusive. Either way, a knee on knee hit is dangerous, leaving Denis Gauthier quite susceptible to further action from the league.

Later Dan Cleary hit Calgary rookie defenceman Jordan Leopold, leaving his skates to pound the rearguard with his head down. Leopold left the game with a potential concusion.

Both incident set up a very interesting game tomorrow night in Calgary before both clubs kick off the regular season later this week.

The Bubble:

With goaltending and defence both decided by roster moves and a major five player swap earlier in the week, the only battles remaining are found in the forward ranks. The loss of winger Ron Petrovicky earlier in the day to the New York Rangers via the Waiver Draft meant only two cuts are yet to come.

The game featured some of these bubble players getting a last look before decisions are made.

Steve Begin - Can you evaluate a player with only 45 seconds of ice time? Steve Begin was tossed in the first period during the melee when he was tagged for kneeing and a game misconduct sending him to an early shower. His willingness to tangle with the NHL champ Georges Laraque is indicative of the players heart, but as far as hockey evaluation goes, the night was a write off for Begin.

Scott Nichol - Scott Nichol lasted longer in the game, but he too spent more than a few minutes in the penalty box. On the night Nichol received a total of 24 minutes in penalties. He fought with Mike Comrie and Dan Cleary with instigator and misconduct penalties coming in the latter bout.

The two others players facing the final decision - Mattias Johansson and Ladislav Kohn recieved the night off.

Up Next: Edmonton, Saturday.