Flames Game Day 80: Headed on back to Nashville (6pm MT, SN West)

It’s a possible first round playoff preview on a Tuesday night in Tennessee! The Calgary Flames (49-20-10, 108 points) visit the Nashville Predators (44-29-6, 94 points) in a game that doesn’t really impact either team’s playoff hopes or seedings all that much, but could have big impacts on the lower side of the Western Conference playoff picture. Can the Predators punch their ticket to the playoffs? Can the Flames hit a milestone for wins? Can either team avoid showing too much of their cards prior to the playoffs?

The game is set for 6 p.m. MT and you can catch it on Sportsnet West, and on Sportsnet 960 The Fan!

Projected lines via Daily Faceoff:

@Johnny Gaudreau – @Elias Lindholm – @Matthew Tkachuk
@Andrew Mangiapane – @Mikael Backlund – @Tyler Toffoli
@Dillon Dube – @Calle Jarnkrok – @Blake Coleman
@Milan Lucic – @Trevor Lewis – @Brett Ritchie

@Noah Hanifin – @Rasmus Andersson
@Oliver Kylington – @Chris Tanev
@Nikita Zadorov – @Erik Gudbranson

@Daniel Vladar is expected to start, backed up by either @Dustin Wolf or @Jacob Markstrom. (If Markstrom dresses, Wolf will be returned to the AHL since he’s up on an emergency recall.) The expected scratches are @Brett Ritchie, @Connor Mackey, @Michael Stone and @Ryan Carpenter. Aside from goaltenders, the Flames are projected to roll along with the same lineup they’ve used for the last few games.

The Flames are hoping to sharpen up a few things in their game, but they’ve lost just once in regulation in their past 11 games. They lost to Nashville in a shootout last week, but it was on the second half of a back-to-back and in their fifth game in a five day span. The Flames have had a really ferocious schedule lately, but they’ve managed to weather the storm fairly well.

The Flames can hit 50 wins on the season with a win against Nashville. It would be just the third time in franchise history with 50 wins – following 1988-89 and 2018-19. As always, keep an eye on @Johnny Gaudreau, who could become the third player on his line to score 40 goals with his next goal. He’s also four even strength points away from 90, which would make him the first player since 1995-96 (when Jaromir Jagr had 95) to reach that level of even strength production.

Projected lines via Daily Faceoff:

@Filip Forsberg – @Mikael Granlund – @Matt Duchene
@Eeli Tolvanen – @Ryan Johansen – @Philip Tomasino
@Tanner Jeannot – @Colton Sissons – @Yakov Trenin
@Nick Cousins –  – @Michael McCarron – @Luke Kunin

@Roman Josi  – @Dante Fabbro
@Mattias Ekholm – @Alexandre Carrier
@Mark Borowiecki – @Matt Benning

@Juuso Saros is expected to start for the Predators, backed up by @David Rittich. Their projected extras are @Matt Luff, @Ben Harpur and @Jeremy Davies.

The Predators can clinch a playoff spot with a win. Or if Dallas beats Vegas in regulation.

Last time these teams met, it was a scheduled loss for the Flames. This time, both teams are rested, so we’ll get a much better indication of what they have in the tank for a potential first round meeting.

The Flames are without Sean Monahan.

The Predators are without Jeremy Lauzon.

Nashville have beaten the Flames twice – once in overtime, once in a shootout – in two meetings this season. This game finishes off their regular season series.

Your recommended Twitter follows for tonight’s contest:

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