Stampeders head coach and general manager John Hufnagel is taking a two-item checklist into Friday’s pre-season finale against the Eskimos at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium.

“My philosophy for pre-season games is to, No. 1, get a great evaluation and, No. 2, to win a football game,” said Hufnagel. “But winning doesn’t override the first priority, which is the evaluation.”

The Stamps are expected to use veteran players for a longer period than was the case in Calgary’s first pre-season outing, a 24-0 loss to the BC Lions.

“We’ll use the first team offence and defence for a good part of the first half, if not all the first half,” he said. “We’ll probably even come out of the locker-room to begin the second half with the starters.

“We’d like to spot some young people in with the veterans throughout the first half, but I expect the perceived starters to play the first half and a little bit of the third quarter so that they can get the feel of having to come out of the locker room and get it done.”

Naturally, the head coach is looking for a better overall showing than was displayed during the first pre-season test.

“For sure, we need to see progression,” said Hufnagel. “We’ve seen it in practice and now we’ve got to translate that into a game situation.

“The whole team has to step it up. We have to play better football than we did last week in all three phases.”