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A thank-you card may not exactly be in the mail, but the Edmonton Eskimos still very much appreciate the result of Saturday’s overtime game at McMahon Stadium.

A 40-34 loss by the Calgary Stampeders in a last-gasp comeback effort by the Montreal Alouettes has spread out a second-place clog between three teams in the West Division.

It’s left the Eskimos (6-3) not only in sole possession of the No. 2 spot behind the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7-2), but also in a position to overtake first place if they beat said Bombers by at least eight points Friday at Commonwealth Stadium (7 p.m., TSN, 630 CHED).

“They’re hot, leading the West and we’re right behind them so it’s going to be a great matchup,” said Eskimos head coach Jason Maas. “I told our guys to be excited about the week, be happy we’re playing in a big game like this, we both earned it.

“But now it’s about going out and seeing who’s the best.”

While first place would still have been on the line without the Montreal miracle, it certainly helps thin things out by dropping Calgary (5-4) all the way down to fourth place, leap-frogging a Saskatchewan Roughriders squad (5-3) that was dormant last week.

Beyond that, the comeback was also a thrill to watch.

“It was a great CFL game,” Maas said. “It’s a cliché in the CFL, but the game’s never over. You never feel out of it because of the way our rules are set in the last three minutes and we’ve seen it now twice in Calgary — two games that come down to the end when teams are up, and both teams got defeated.

“Plays were made. It was exciting for fans and people who love CFL.”

Email: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge