EDMONTON

Keith Aulie only got two games for laying out Calgary’s Matt Stajan on New Year’s Eve, but given that he hasn’t touched the ice in the 11 games since, it kind of feels like they threw the book at him.

It’s never easy being a healthy scratch in nine straight games, but as fate, and an injury to Nikita Nikitin would have it, the Oilers defenceman is back on the blue-line, just in time to play the Calgary Flames again.

Hey, timing is everything.

“I’m just going to try not to think about it too much, just focus on my own game and get back to speed as quick as I can out there,” said the 6-foot-6, 222-pounder, who isn’t worried about possible acts of retribution from the Calgary side.

“Whatever happens, happens. I hope that nobody has the feeling I was trying to hurt people, I don’t try to hurt anybody in the ice, it’s just the way it happened.”

The hit on Stajan was anything but dirty. In fact, many believe it wasn’t even a penalty, much less a suspension. Aulie crouched down and tucked his elbow in, but still made contact with Stajan’s head because the Flame was looking at the puck in his feet. Aulie was essentially suspended for being tall, but there’s nothing he can do about it now.

“It’s obviously not what I wanted to have happen with that hit but looking back there’s not a whole lot different I would do, other than some very small little details. I just have to play the game hard, the way I can.

“I can’t let (the suspension) affect my game. If I did I’m probably not going to be around anymore. I have to play the game hard.”

He never imagined, though, that the two-game suspension would turn into 11 games on the shelf.

“Not at all,” he said. “As a player you want to play. I’m not going to sit here and lie and say that everything has been all roses lately, it’s been tough, it’s been a hard stretch.

“But I’ve been working hard every day to stay ready. As a player you want to play but you can only control what you can control and be ready when you get the opportunity.”

• Nikitin injured his shoulder in the third period against Buffalo and is expected to be out for several weeks.

“He’s out for quite a while,” said head coach Nelson. “I don’t want to put a timeline on it, but we don’t expect him back for quite some time.

• Taylor Hall, who’s been out with a bone bruise after taking a shot off the leg in practice, made the trip to Calgary and is being listed as day to day.

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robert.tychkowski@sunmedia.ca​