FGD 64: Tangling with the Devils (5pm MT, SN West)
By Ryan Pike
5 years agoOne of the National Hockey League’s hottest teams clashes with one of its coldest at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
In their second game in as many nights, the Calgary Flames (40-16-7, 87 points) head to the wilds of Newark to face off against the New Jersey Devils (25-30-8, 58 points). Winners of six in a row, the Flames are hoping to keep their momentum going. The Devils are hoping to generate some.
The puck drops just after 5 p.m. MT on Sportsnet West and Sportsnet 960 The Fan.
The Flames
Projected lines, via Daily Faceoff:
Gaudreau – Monahan – Lindholm
Tkachuk – Backlund – Bennett
Frolik – Jankowski – Czarnik
Mangiapane – Ryan – Hathaway
Tkachuk – Backlund – Bennett
Frolik – Jankowski – Czarnik
Mangiapane – Ryan – Hathaway
Giordano – Brodie
Hanifin – Hamonic
Fantenberg – Andersson
Hanifin – Hamonic
Fantenberg – Andersson
David Rittich starts for the Flames, backed up by Mike Smith. The projected scratches are Dalton Prout and Curtis Lazar. Oliver Kylington sits to rest his lower body injury after blocking a shot, with Oscar Fantenberg making his Flames debut on the third pairing.
The Flames have won six in a row and are 21 points clear of the ninth place Colorado Avalanche. They’re not home and cooled yet, but they’re chugging along. They’re entering the evening five points up on San Jose with a game in hand, so potentially they could have a seven point lead with a win.
The Devils
Projected lines, via Daily Faceoff:
Coleman – Hischier – Lappin
Agostino – Zajac – Stafford
Pietila – McLeod – Bastian
Yakovlev – Rooney – Gabriel
Agostino – Zajac – Stafford
Pietila – McLeod – Bastian
Yakovlev – Rooney – Gabriel
Greene – Severson
Mueller – Vatanen
Butcher – Carrick
Mueller – Vatanen
Butcher – Carrick
Mackenzie Blackwood starts for the Devils, backed up by Cory Schneider. The lone “healthy” scratch tonight looks to be Steven Santini, as the Devils have been deluged by injuries lately. Sami Vatanen and Will Butcher return tonight, though.
The Devils were great a year ago, but a mixture of injuries and some players taking steps back have made them a rather ordinary team this season. They shipped out Marcus Johansson at the trade deadline and are presently 16 points out of the playoffs. They’re playing for draft placement now.
The Numbers
| CGY | NJD | |
| Wins | 40 | 25 |
| Points | 87 | 58 |
| Adjusted Corsi | 53.2% | 46.8% |
| Power Play | 22.1% | 18.4% |
| Penalty Kill | 79.1% | 84.2% |
Injury Report
The Flames are without Michael Stone and James Neal.
The Devils are without Taylor Hall, Stefan Noesen, Pavel Zacha, Jesper Bratt, Miles Wood, Kyle Palmieri and John Quenneville.
Season Series
This is the first of two meetings between these two teams. They’ll finish off their season series in mid-March in Calgary.
Know Thy Enemy
Your Devils Twitter follows for tonight:
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