FGD 46: A home date with the Fancy Cats (7pm MT, SN West)

After withstanding a barrage of shots from Colorado on Wednesday night, the Calgary Flames (28-13-4, 60 points) are back in action at the Scotiabank Saddledome. On this evening they host the Florida Panthers (17-17-8, 42 points), in the midst of a lengthy road trip and playing their second game in as many nights.

The game begins at 7 p.m. MT on Sportsnet West and Sportsnet 960 The Fan.

Projected lines, via Daily Faceoff:

Once again, David Rittich starts for the Flames (backed up by Mike Smith). Garnet Hathaway and Dalton Prout look to be the healthy scratches for tonight’s contest, swapping in for Andrew Mangiapane and Oliver Kylington respectively.

The Flames haven’t played great hockey of late. But despite playing a lot of uneven hockey of late, they’re 6-1-1 since Christmas and have won three games in a row. They keep finding ways to win, largely due to nice performances from a handful of players, and it’s inching them closer and closer to a post-season berth.

Tonight is career game 799 for Mark Giordano.

Projected lines, via Daily Faceoff:

Expect to see Roberto Luongo in net for Florida, backed up by James Reimer (who started in Edmonton). Jayce Hawryluk and Ian McCoshen were scratched last night, so potentially one (or both) slot in tonight. (Update: All indications are Hawryluk swaps in for Michael Haley on the fourth line.)

Florida played last night in Edmonton and lost in a shootout, giving up the lead with eight seconds left in regulation. The Panthers carried play for much of the game, but gradually ran out of gas. They’re nine points out of the last wildcard spot, but they have a lot of teams to climb over to get there. The Panthers have lost four in a row.

The Flames are without Juuso Valimaki and Michael Stone.

The Panthers are without Jamie McGinn, Derek MacKenzie, Vincent Trocheck and Nick Bjugstad.

This is the first of two meetings between these teams this season. They’ll meet once more in Florida on Valentine’s Day.

Your Panthers Twitter follows for tonight:

From peewee to the pros, Albertans love the atmosphere, energy, and life lessons that take place at rinks across the province. And where there’s an arena, you’ll find an ATB branch nearby—with our team members cheering and fundraising along with you. See more information at ATB.com.