Alberta's permanent daylight time gives Flames, Oilers eight 9 p.m. starts

Alberta's decision to stop moving clocks back in November and forward in March has created a mix of unusually early and late NHL start times for the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers this season. The Flames will play eight games with 9 p.m. puck drops, including two at the Saddledome on Dec. 26 against Vancouver and Jan. 16 against Los Angeles. The Oilers have seven 9 p.m. home starts at Rogers Place, including Nov. 7 against the Canucks and March 6 against Chicago.

Flames captain Mikael Backlund said players will simply need to prepare with extra caffeine for the late starts, while forward Ryan Strome noted his young children won't be able to attend the 9 p.m. games. Flames president and CEO Robert Hayes said the team can't control the scheduling decision but called it an opportunity for a livelier Saturday night atmosphere. Calgary will also see eight afternoon games starting at 2:30 p.m. or earlier, up from five last season.

B.C. and Manitoba have made similar moves to stay on daylight time year-round. Manitoba's shift, announced Sept. 17, prompted the NHL to push back a dozen Winnipeg Jets home games by an hour, though none later than 7:30 p.m. The Jets and Canucks both face some unusual road start times this season, including games as late as 10 p.m. and as early as noon.