FGD 1: High hopes (7pm MT, SN West)
By Ryan Pike
4 years agoAfter months and months of waiting, and a couple prolonged contract negotiations, the Calgary Flames are ready to begin their 2019-20 season. Fittingly, they’ll begin their season by revisiting one of their most bitter defeats – with a trip to Denver to face the Colorado Avalanche.
The puck drops at 7 p.m. MT on Sportsnet West and Sportsnet 960 The Fan!
The Flames
Projected lines, via Daily Faceoff:
Gaudreau – Monahan – Lindholm
Tkachuk – Backlund – Frolik
Bennett – Ryan – Lucic
Mangiapane – Jankowski – Czarnik
Tkachuk – Backlund – Frolik
Bennett – Ryan – Lucic
Mangiapane – Jankowski – Czarnik
Giordano – Brodie
Hanifin – Hamonic
Kylington – Andersson
Hanifin – Hamonic
Kylington – Andersson
After backing up Mike Smith a year ago on opening night, David Rittich starts for the Flames in Denver. He’s backed up by Cam Talbot. The projected scratches are Tobias Rieder and Michael Stone. Mikael Backlund missed a couple days of practice with a lower body injury, but he’s expected to play. (If he doesn’t, Sam Bennett moves up to Backlund’s spot, Andrew Mangiapane to Bennett’s spot and Rieder to Mangiapane’s spot.)
Fun bettors fact: The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Calgary’s last 6 games played in October. – From our friends @ OddsShark.com
The last time we saw the Flames in games that counted, they looked a bit out of their depth against the Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs. Of course, in the 82 games that preceded that series, the Flames looked pretty damn good. Needless to say, this is a group of players who feel they have something to prove this season. No better time or place to start than in Denver, against a club that clowned them in the spring.
The Avalanche
Projected lines, via Daily Faceoff:
Landeskog – MacKinnon – Rantanen
Jost – Kadri – Burakovsky
Nieto – Compher – Donskoi
Calvert – Bellemare – Nichushkin
Jost – Kadri – Burakovsky
Nieto – Compher – Donskoi
Calvert – Bellemare – Nichushkin
Girard – Johnson
Zadorov – Makar
Connauton – Timmins
Zadorov – Makar
Connauton – Timmins
Philipp Grubauer starts for the Avalanche, backed up by Pavel Francouz. The likely scratches are Vladislav Kamenev, Ryan Graves and Mark Barberio.
The Avalanche were very good in the first round of the playoffs and much less good in the second round. So they spent their summer adding bodies: Nazem Kadri, Andre Burakovsky, Joonas Donskoi and Valeri Nichushkin among them. They’re a bit thinner on their blueline than they were a year ago, but they’re a pretty fast, deep, talented hockey club.
Also, uh, the local cable carrier in Denver doesn’t have a deal to carry the channel the Avalanche broadcast on right now…
The Numbers
| Flames | Avalanche | |
| Wins | 0 | 0 |
| Points | 0 | 0 |
| Adjusted Corsi | n/a | n/a |
| Power Play | n/a | n/a |
| Penalty Kill | n/a | n/a |
| 2019 Playoff Wins | 1 | 7 |
Injury Report
The Flames are without D Juuso Valimaki (ACL surgery).
The Avalanche are missing D Ian Cole (hip surgery).
When Last We Met
The last time the Flames played the Avalanche, they lost 5-1 in the Saddledome to be eliminated from the playoffs in five games. The irony is that the Flames beat Colorado all three times they met in the regular season.
Know Thy Enemy
Here are some key Twitter peeps to follow for tonight’s opener:
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