Flames Game Day 32: A clash with the Lightning (5pm MT, SN West)
By Ryan Pike
2 years agoJust 48 hours after suffering arguably their worst defeat of the season, the Calgary Flames (17-8-6, 40 points) are back in action and facing another tough test in the form of the Tampa Bay Lightning (22-8-5, 49 points). It’s a road game against the two-time reigning and defending Stanley Cup Champions, so it’s another measuring stick game in a trip chock full of ’em.
This game gets going at 5 p.m. MT. You can catch the action on Sportsnet West and Sportsnet 960 The Fan.
The Flames
Projected lines via Daily Faceoff:
Gaudreau – Lindholm – Tkachuk
Coleman – Backlund – Ritchie
Dube – Monahan – Mangiapane
Lucic – Richardson – Lewis
Coleman – Backlund – Ritchie
Dube – Monahan – Mangiapane
Lucic – Richardson – Lewis
Hanifin – Andersson
Kylington – Tanev
Zadorov – Gudbranson
Kylington – Tanev
Zadorov – Gudbranson
Dan Vladar starts in net, backed up by Jacob Markström. Tyler Pitlick and Michael Stone are the extras. (Adam Ruzicka and Byron Froese are on the taxi squad.) Lines have been updated from warm-up.
It’s a do-over, folks! On Tuesday against Florida, the Flames were a flawed team. They struggled against Florida’s insanely fast forecheck, which led to turnovers, many shifts in their own end, and possibly their worst overall game of the season. Granted, they were playing a really good hockey team, but it likely served as a reality check for the Flames.
After said reality check, the Flames are hoping for a better showing and result against the Stanley Cup Champions.
The Lightning
Projected lines via Daily Faceoff:
Palat – Point – Kucherov
Killorn – Stamkos – Cirelli
Maroon – Bellemare – Perry
Katchouk – Joseph – Raddysh
Killorn – Stamkos – Cirelli
Maroon – Bellemare – Perry
Katchouk – Joseph – Raddysh
Hedman – Rutta
McDonagh – Cernak
Foote – Sergachev
McDonagh – Cernak
Foote – Sergachev
Andrei Vasilevskiy starts for Tampa Bay, backed up by Brian Elliott. They have no extra healthy bodies, but Andrej Sustr is on the taxi squad. Nikita Kucherov returns tonight after a lengthy absence, with his return facilitated by Riley Nash being on waivers (to move to the taxi squad).
Tampa Bay is really good, folks. They beat the brakes off of Columbus by a 7-2 score on Tuesday night. They’re a deep, fast, talented team with good players sprinkled throughout their lineup, and they’ve manage to maneuver around some cap-related (and COVID/injury-related) challenges lately.
If you’re playing the Lightning, you better bring your A-game, otherwise it’ll be a long, long night at the office.
The numbers
| Calgary | Tampa Bay | |
| Wins | 16 | 22 |
| Points (%) | 40 (.645) | 49 (.700) |
| Adjusted Corsi For | 56.2% | 52.3% |
| Expected Goals For | 53.8% | 53.1% |
| Power Play | 23.1% | 20.2% |
| Penalty Kill | 83.7% | 79.6% |
Unfit to play
The Flames are healthy.
The Lightning are without Ross Colton and Zach Bogosian.
When last we met
The Flames lost to Tampa Bay back in February 2020.
Know thy enemy
Your recommended Twitter follows for tonight’s contest:
THIS ARTICLE BROUGHT TO YOU BY DAILYFACEOFF
Looking to up your fantasy hockey game? DailyFaceoff has the tools you need for both daily and season-long fantasy leagues, including a lineup optimizer, daily projections, and a whole lot more. Sign up for the DailyFaceoff tools here.
Recent articles from Ryan Pike
