"Backlund turtling for dear life": Fans react as Corey Perry pounds away at Flames captain in heated Batlle of Alberta scrum

Fans reacted as the Battle of Alberta had another fight, and Corey Perry was in the middle of it. The Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames played physically from the start, trading hits early in the game. But, in the second period, things heated up.

Flames forward Joel Farabee got a breakaway chance and took a shot at Oilers goalie Calvin Pickard. After the play, Mikael Backlund skated in and sprayed snow on Pickard’s face. The Oilers didn’t like that, and players from both teams reacted right away. It looked like things were settling down until Corey Perry saw something he didn’t like.

Corey Perry broke free from an official, grabbed Backlund and threw punches. The referees gave roughing penalties to Perry and Kasperi Kapanen. Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson also got a roughing penalty.

Spittin’ Chiclets posted the fight video on X (formerly Twitter):

"If there’s a Battle of Alberta without a fight, did it even happen?"

NHL fans reacted to the video.

"Backlund turtling for dear life," a fan said.

"Backlund jumps Perry from behind then turtles," another fan commented.

"Backlund and Anderson be huge bit**es lol," one user said.

Here are more reactions from fans on X.

"Thank god for the old timer, not one fu**in guy on this team would have done that!! Biggest bunch of softies in the league," a fan said.

"Oilers ended the flames franchise," another fan commented.

"Edm only tough guy is 39 years old come on flames," a fan tweeted.

---

Corey Perry talked about protecting Oilers' goalies on Thursday

Corey Perry blamed himself for not stopping Mikko Rantanen from hitting Stuart Skinner. Speaking on Thursday, he was frustrated that there was no penalty.

"I was pissed at myself," Perry said, via The Athletic. "I was on the ice when Rantanen hit Skinner. That’s on me. I should never let that happen. I didn’t see what happened. I just saw Stu go down and everybody just stand there."

Perry said the team needs to discuss how to protect their goalies. Opposing players have made contact with Oilers' goalies too often.

“We’ll talk about that internally,” Perry said. “Other guys have to step up. Can’t fill every hole with one player, especially with those guys out. It’s good to see everybody came back & hopefully Stu’s good.”

Some teammates prefer focusing on scoring instead of physical retaliation. The Oilers fought back but lost 4-3 to Dallas.