Calgary @ Edmonton preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 4, 2017 ) Edmonton 18, Calgary 39

The Calgary Stampeders look to separate themselves from the rest of the pack in the West Division when they make the short trip to Edmonton to face the Eskimos on Saturday. The surging Stampeders have won six consecutive games, including a comfortable 39-18 victory against Edmonton in the Labour Day Classic on Monday, to open up a three-point lead at the top of the division, and hope to beat the Eskimos for the fourth straight time.

Calgary has outscored its opponents 211-77 during its winning run and hopes to extend another streak by vanquishing its 14th West Division rival in a row. Edmonton's 7-0 start is all but a distant memory following three straight losses to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Stampeders respectively. The Eskimos had no answers for a Calgary offence that was firing on all cylinders as it suffered its sixth consecutive defeat on Labour Day, and hope to stay in contention for the West Division title by downing their provincial rival for the first time since Oct. 10, 2015. "For whatever reason in the last three weeks we've been our own worst enemy," Edmonton coach Jason Maas admitted to reporters. "Until we get out of our own way it's hard to defeat any team in this league let alone the three teams that are playing the best."

TV: 9 p.m. ET, TSN, ESPN3

ABOUT THE ESKIMOS (7-3): Mike Reilly completed 34-of-53 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns, but threw a pair of interceptions to give him seven picks in his last four games. Brandon Zylstra was one of the lone bright spots for the Eskimos on Labour Day as he hauled in nine passes for 127 yards and a touchdown while Reilly threw his 100th TD pass in an Edmonton uniform in the fourth quarter. Derel Walker, who caught 198 passes for 2,699 yards and 16 touchdowns in two all-star seasons with Edmonton, is reportedly in talks to return to Commonwealth Stadium after he was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

ABOUT THE STAMPEDERS (8-1-1): Roy Finch returned a punt 90 yards for a touchdown Sunday to equal the single-season franchise record of three set by William Hampton in 1999. Defensive back Shaq Richardson and linebacker Alex Singleton claimed two of the three CFL Top Performer of the Week accolades as Richardson picked off two passes and recovered a fumble while Singleton made a career-high 13 tackles, which was three shy of equaling the single-game CFL record held by Reggie Hunt. Offensive lineman Dan Federkeil suffered an apparent wrist injury against the Eskimos and his status for Saturday is unknown.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Calgary is averaging 39.3 points over its last three meetings with Edmonton.

2. Stampeders RB Jerome Messam has rushed for eight touchdowns in his last six contests.

3. Zylstra has five 100-yard receiving games in 2017.

PREDICTION: Stampeders 31, Eskimos 21