#Flames at practice today: Gaudreau-Monahan-Bennett Tkachuk-Backlund-Czarnik Dube-Lindholm-Neal Hathaway-Ryan-Frolik Jankowski Giordano-Brodie Hanifin-Hamonic Valimaki-Andersson Prout-Stone
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Lots of line changes at Friday’s practice
Photo credit: Sergei Belski/USA Today Sports
The Calgary Flames lost big-time on Thursday night. As you might expect, Friday afternoon’s practice saw several lineup changes in response to the loss.
Based on notes from practice on social media from a few of our media pals, it seems like Mike Smith will start and the scratches are probably Dalton Prout, Michael Stone and Mark Jankowski.
If these groupings hold, we see:
- Sam Bennett playing on his off wing after playing a good chunk of Thursday’s game at center.
- The reunion of the MMA Line, with Austin Czarnik displacing Michael Frolik to the fourth line.
- Elias Lindholm skating as a center for the first time this season.
- Derek Ryan swapping his spot in the press box with Mark Jankowski.
- A largely status quo blueline.
- Juuso Valimaki returning to the lineup and playing his 10th NHL game, officially starting the clock on his entry-level deal.
- Dalton Prout being scratched for the 10th time and Michael Stone sitting for the first time this season.
Due to Saturday’s game being a 2 p.m. MT start time, there’s no morning skate tomorrow so this is probably the best snapshot we’ll get of the ramifications of the blowout loss.
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