FGD 68: Into the desert (7pm MT, SN Flames)

Losers of three games in a row, the local sports team will attempt to get back in the win column as they play their second game in as many nights.

The Calgary Flames (41-19-7, 89 points) head into Glendale to tangle with the Arizona Coyotes (32-29-5, X points). Coming off a tight-checking loss in Las Vegas less than 24 hours ago, can the Flames steal a page from Taylor Swift’s book and shake off their latest setback?

The puck drops at 7 p.m.. MT on Sportsnet Flames and Sportsnet 960 The Fan. The Flames are a moderate (-150) favourite per Oddshark’s moneyline.

Last night’s lines, via Daily Faceoff:

Mike Smith starts for the Flames, backed up by David Rittich. Via Derek Wills, the only expected change is Oscar Fantenberg coming in for Dalton Prout. Oliver Kylington and Curtis Lazar are the other expected scratches.

It’s a busy night for playoff races, as nine other Western Conference teams are in action tonight – including the San Jose Sharks playing Montreal. The Flames enter play with a magic number of 6.5 (wins and Arizona losses) to clinch a playoff spot, 9.5 (wins and Vegas losses) to clinch home ice in the first round and 15 (wins and San Jose losses) to clinch the Pacific Division and top seed in the Western Conference. They did nothing to help themselves last night.

The Flames are mired in their longest losing skid of the season, so tonight would be a good opportunity for them to bust out of this slump (short as it may be).

Projected lines, via Daily Faceoff:

It sounds like Darcy Kuemper starts for Arizona, backed up by Calvin Pickard. The projected healthy extras are Hudson Fasching and Ilya Lyubushkin.

The Coyotes are in playoff mode, and are essentially playing for their survival at this point. They’ve won six of their last seven games, and have gotten key contributions from key players during this hot streak. They’re a scrappy bunch most of the time, but they’ve been playing with a great deal of urgency and desperation and have won despite missing several key bodies. They’re a tough out every game, but the Flames will need to be sharp to grind out a win this evening.

The Flames are without Michael Stone and James Neal.

The Coyotes are without Kyle Capobianco, Nick Schmaltz, Antti Raanta, Michael Grabner, Derek Stepan and Jordan Oesterle.

This is the final meeting between these two teams during the regular season. The Flames have won all three of their prior meetings, by a combined 18-4 score.

Your Coyotes 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.