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Prior to the start of this season, the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers had very different expectations. Air Max 97 Vapormax Canada . The Oilers fan base was expecting the teams first playoff berth since the 2005-2006 season while the Flames were entering a franchise rebuild after trading cornerstone Jarome Iginla at the trade deadline the previous season and losing long-time starting goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff to retirement. On Saturday night, the Flames skated to an 8-1 romp over the Oilers in Edmonton, leaving many to wonder which team was further ahead in the race for the playoffs next season. Not surprisingly, the Flames currently sit well outside of a playoff spot with most fans showing the patience and support for the rebuild that president of hockey operations and interim general manager Brian Burke has asked for. The Oilers, on the other hand, now sit last in the Western Conference, six points behind the Flames and mathematically eliminated from the playoffs with a fan base fed up with a fifth straight losing season. President of hockey operations Kevin Lowe pronounced the team to be "poised for greatness" last season, yet that greatness remains to be seen. With both team already looking toward next season, the question in the Battle of Alberta is which team will make the playoffs first: the Flames or the Oilers? On paper, it would appear the advantage is with the Oilers. The team has three former first-overall draft picks on their roster and two other first-round picks in Sam Gagner and Jordan Eberle. Their goaltending tandem is set for next season with Ben Scrivens and Viktor Fasth and the team has their 2013 first-round pick, Darnell Nurse, developing in the OHL. However, the Oilers recent struggles has surrounded the team with question marks, including entertaining thoughts of trading one of the young stars to meet another need. The Flames appear to be on a much steadier course, trusting in Burke to put together a team that will enter the playoffs in the near future. Burkes history with rebuilding the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs inspires confidence that, with time, the team will reach the playoffs. Burke also put the finishing touches on the Anaheim Ducks that propelled them to a Stanley Cup. "I think I add a value. Ive been able to fix just about every team Ive worked for, sometimes quicker than others." Burke said when he was introduced as a member of Flames organization. Burke also inspired confidence with his 2013 first-round draft pick Sean Monahan. Monahan is second on the Flames in goals this season with 19 and fifth on the team in total points with 31. Both the Oilers and Flames will likely be in the draft lottery this season with a chance to select first overall, a disappointment for Edmonton and an expectation for Calgary. "Im an impatient guy. We have to do some bold things to move this team forward in a rapid fashion. We have to a better job arming our coaches and our core players with a group to get us to a highly-competitive level," Craig MacTavish said when he was introduced was the Oilers general manager last season. Moving forward, the Battle of Alberta may be turning into a race to see which team will make the playoffs first. Will the Flames steady rebuild pay off with a post-season entrance before the Oilers find a solution to their recent woes? Or will the Oilers embarrassment of young talent come together and deliver the playoff appearance fans are growing restless for? So, which team will make the playoffs first: the Oilers or Flames? As always, its Your! Call. Nike Just Do It Shoes Canada .com) - The Carolina Panthers won for the first time in seven games last week, were without Cam Newton due to a car accident this week, but somehow sit atop the much-maligned NFC South. Cheap Vapormax Shoes . The 33-year-old defender has spent his entire career at Chelsea, scoring 57 goals in 621 appearances. He regained his regular starting place under Jose Mourinho in the season that ended at the weekend without Chelsea winning a trophy. http://www.airvapormaxcanada.com/ . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends.LOS ANGELES -- On an exceptional, emotional night, the Los Angeles Clippers returned to their "safe haven" and moved to the brink of winning just their third playoff series since Donald Sterling bought the team in 1981. Sterling wasnt there to witness the 113-103 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, and he wont be at future games. The Clippers stirring victory at energized Staples Center came hours after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling for life, fined him $2.5 million and called on NBA owners to force him to sell the team for making racist comments. DeAndre Jordan had 25 points, a playoff career high, and 18 rebounds while Chris Paul scored 20 points as the Clippers took a 3-2 lead in the first-round series. "I think it put a lot of guys minds at ease," Paul said. "Its been tough the last few days, but weve been getting through it." Clippers coach Doc Rivers high-fived each of his players near the bench in an uncommon display of excitement as the final seconds ticked away. Guard Jamal Crawford hugged and slapped hands with fans at courtside on the way to the locker room. "I thought they were great," said Rivers, who before the game said he hoped Staples Center would be a "safe haven" full of adrenaline. "I thought they were tired a lot, and that was the result of the last few days. I just thought they had great mental toughness. They wanted to will this game, and Im just proud of them." Game 6 is Thursday night in Oakland. The Clippers were greeted with a standing ovation when they came out for pregame warmups. They kept on their Clippers warmup suits, unlike Sunday in Oakland, when, in a silent protest against Sterling, they tossed their sweatsuits bearing the team logo onto the court and went through their pregame routine with their red shirts on inside out. Players from both teams wore black socks. With so many sponsors bailing on the Clippers, there were few advertisements on the video boards. A few non-digital signs were covered over. The PA announcer constantly reminded the crowd, "We Are One." One fan woree a T-shirt that read: "Sterling Out Equality In. Vapormax Canada. " The distraction since the scandal broke Saturday was "monumental," said Crawford, who scored 19 points. "You couldnt shake it. Youd try to take a nap, youd wake up, and youd think its a bad dream. You couldnt shake it but it drains you, even mentally more than physically. Im glad we had the strength to get through it. With that cloud over you, you never know. This thing could have gone either way." Blake Griffin scored 18 points and Darren Collison had 15 for the Clippers. Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 21 points. David Lee and Andre Iguodala scored 18 apiece while Stephen Curry had a so-so game with 17 points, including four 3-pointers. "We had the momentum coming off the last game but we had too many turnovers and we were not consistent," Curry said. "Our defence didnt stick to its plan. "We have to figure out how to control the paint and cant let them get off to a big start," he said. "We knew they would come out with a lot of emotion but after the first quarter it felt like a regular playoff game." Curry stole the ball and hit a 3-pointer to give the Warriors a 70-69 lead late in the third quarter. Paul answered with a 3-pointer to put the Clippers up 72-70. Crawford then poked the ball away from Curry, broke free, got the pass for a dunk and a four-point lead with 1:11 left. Paul hit another 3 with 1.1 seconds left in the third for a 77-72 lead. Griffin scored eight points in the first 6 minutes of the fourth quarter. Jordan made six of eight free throws in the final period. With the Clippers leading by three points early in the fourth quarter, Griffin scored two quick baskets to make it 83-78. He made a turnaround jumper to push the lead to 90-81 with 7 minutes to go. Jordan had four blocks and Paul had five steals. "We knew it was going to be loud and thats what will be waiting for us on Thursday at home," Warriors guard Steve Blake said. "Weve got to believe and if we do that, we can come back and win two games." ' ' '