The Calgary Flames (10-6-1, 21 points) have shown flashes of brilliance through the first 20% of this season. Tonight, we may discover if they’re actually a good hockey team when they face arguably the top Pacific Division squad, the San Jose Sharks (8-6-3, 19 points) in the second half of a back-to-back.
The puck drops at 7 p.m. MT on Sportsnet 360 and Sportsnet 960 The Fan.
The Flames
Projected lines, via Daily Faceoff:
Gaudreau – Monahan – Lindholm
Tkachuk – Backlund – Neal
Bennett – Ryan – Frolik
Hathaway – Jankowski – Czarnik
Giordano – Brodie
Hanifin – Hamonic
Valimaki – Stone
Mike Smith makes the start, backed up by David Rittich. The healthy scratches look to be Anthony Peluso, Rasmus Andersson and Dalton Prout, with Michael Stone swapping in for Andersson (per Derek Wills). It’s a big game for Smith, who hasn’t been overly sharp during the last few weeks while Rittich has been the sharpest we’ve ever seen him.
This game is what’s known as a “schedule loss,” in that the Sharks have been waiting for the Flames while they’ve traveled. But the Sharks haven’t been overly great lately and the Flames have been playing some of their best hockey of the season.
All season, our staff Slack chat has had a consistent question pop up: “Are these guys actually good?” We’ve seen the Flames play really good hockey on and off over the last three seasons, but the consistency just hasn’t been there – especially in situations like this, playing divisional rivals at the end of road trips. This is the type of game good teams, teams with the intentions of making noise in the post-season, find a way to win. Almost as much as their response to the 9-1 Pittsburgh shellacking eight games ago, this game will tell us a whole lot about the 2018-19 Flames.
The Sharks
Projected lines, via Daily Faceoff:
Kane – Pavelski – Donskoi
Meier – Couture – Hertl
Sorensen – Thornton – LaBanc
Suomela – Suomela – M.Karlsson
Ryan – Burns
Dillon – E.Karlsson
Vlasic – Braun
Martin Jones starts, backed up by Aaron Dell. The extras look to be Rourke Chartier, Radim Simek and Tim Heed. It sounds like Tomas Hertl returns after missing a few games due to injury.
The Sharks have been idle since a back-to-back set of road games on Thursday and Friday that saw them lose to Dallas (4-3 on Thursday) and St. Louis (4-0 on Friday). Their defensive game hasn’t been amazing and, thus far, they haven’t gelled the way you’d hope a team with as many strong players would. But the Sharks are a proud group and they’ll know the importance of a strong showing against a divisional rival, so expect them to come out of the gates with a lot of gusto tonight.
The Numbers
| CGY | SJS | |
| Wins | 10 | 8 |
| Points | 21 | 19 |
| Corsi Close | 54.7% | 57.5% |
| Power Play | 17.2% | 18.5% |
| Penalty Kill | 75.0% | 87.7% |
Injury Report
The Flames are without Dillon Dube, who’s working through the concussion protocol.
The Sharks are healthy.
Season Series
This is the first of four meetings between these two clubs this season. The next time they’ll meet is New Year’s Eve in Calgary.
Know Thy Enemy
Your Sharks Twitter follows for tonight:
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What channel is the game on? I can’t find it o the listings!
SportsNet 360, if you have that channel…
onhockey.tv
OTW do you give yourself cheers nobody cheers a broadcast station.
Not me Lanny MAC.
I don’t trash either..
Maybe people agreeing…
Why Stone is in can can be answered with 4 letters K.A.N.E.
Seems like Stone is in for more physicality. There’s a rivalry brewing with these Sharks
Smith…yeesh. Last nights game I didn’t really like anyone a lot except Rittch. Hope that a different team comes out today.
Some observations:
-Neal looks slllloooww. I have been a Neal signing fan but it is looking bad.
-Hathaway is slowing turning me into a fan.
-I am liking Bennett’s game.
-Gio is still the man.
-Czarnik looks like he belongs in the AHL and pretends like he is the superstar. Banging his stick on the ice to have someone pass it to you how many times? wtf?
-Ryan has been okay. Not great but still okay.
Go Flames Go. On the runway in Vancouver going to Maui. Unfortunately I am going to miss this one. Hmm Flames game or Hawaii, tough call. Surprisingly tough….
Can we get Rittich now!?!? Before it’s too late for this game
Tkachuk needs to worry less about drawing calls and more about playing the game. Looking for blood instead of clearing the zone cost the Flames the first goal. PS – the refs have seen Tkachuk’s act for a year so he’s likely not going to get the suspect calls he got last year.
He got skewered in the ear by couture. That was a terrible missed call and it lead directly to a goal.
Sorry, it was pavelski who got him in the ear. Whoever trashed, go look at the replay
Or just keep trashing me, that’s fine too.
I think he’s playing hurt,
Smith…[email protected]
This is why we can’t have nice things
Can Smith make any saves?
sooooo when can we give up on smith??
BT’s buddy from Arizona so when BT is gone so to will be Smith
FART NOISE!!!
I dont know what’s more frustrating.. watching smith start and always letting a goal in within the first few shots or the coach letting him start when he’s clearly not good enough anymore
Anybody else think Evander Kane is a piece of garbage
Flames have had 3 or 4 grade A scoring chances. Need to just keep at it and get the next goal.
Didn’t take Peters long to get Frolik back with Tkachuk and Backlund.
Neal back on 3rd line..
I think Cassie wants to have Smith’s children
They are trying stupid hard on sportsnet to hype Smith up
The constant bashing isn’t helping either.
How about we let the game play out before we jump to conclusions?
Vlasic was mostly neutralizing Gaudreau in the first. And as a team SJ seemed to be almost swarming Gaudreau, they’re definitely focused on shutting him down.
The Jets 3rd Jersey’s are nice!
For being such a great defensive centreman, Backlund sure is struggling in his own end. Cover your man.
Backlund sucks
maybe letting a guy stand behind your net with the puck and no challenge isn’t such a good idea.
Or letting your man skate away from you wide open in the slot. Who’s more dangerous – the guy behind the net or the guy wide open in the slot?
I think that Hanifin has to play on the guy behind the net and not stand there like a post but that does not excuse letting a guy drift out to prime shooting position.
And we totally blow coverage.
Backlund has an alright game every now and then, and the fan boys go crazy for him. When he has several bad games in a row, the fan boys still go crazy for him.
Try to be best
Cause you’re only a man
And a man’s gotta learn to take it
Try to believe
Though the going gets rough
That you gotta hang tough to make it
History repeats itself
Try and you’ll succeed
Never doubt that you’re the one
And you can have your dreams!
You’re the best!
Around!
Nothing’s gonna ever keep you down
You’re the Best!
Around!
Nothing’s gonna ever keep you down
You’re the Best!
Around!
Nothing’s gonna ever keep you dow-ow-ow-ow-own
GO BACKLUND GO!!!!
Looks like Karlsson did too.
Monahan!
That makes up for the first goal… bumble for bumble
Hahaha thankfully karlsson sucks
The puck is bouncing like a ball and it is sticking to the ice, also the best skaters in the game are having trouble. It looks like for the second night in a row they are playing on crappy ice.
Looking like a lacrosse game out there