The Calgary Flames (35-15-7, 77 points) hope to continue their winning ways as they embark upon a weekend back-to-back set. First up? They host the Detroit Red Wings (24-27-7, 55 points), a distinctly non-playoff team already playing out the string in the Eastern Conference. Can the Flames avoid a trap game before their high-octane rematch with Colorado on Sunday?
The puck drops just after 5 p.m. MT. Catch all the action on Sportsnet One and West or Sportsnet 960 The Fan!
The Flames
Projected lines via Daily Faceoff:
@Johnny Gaudreau – @Elias Lindholm – @Matthew Tkachuk
@Blake Coleman – @Mikael Backlund – @Trevor Lewis
@Andrew Mangiapane – @Adam Ruzicka – @Tyler Toffoli
@Milan Lucic – @Sean Monahan – @Dillon Dube
@Blake Coleman – @Mikael Backlund – @Trevor Lewis
@Andrew Mangiapane – @Adam Ruzicka – @Tyler Toffoli
@Milan Lucic – @Sean Monahan – @Dillon Dube
@Noah Hanifin – @Rasmus Andersson
@Michael Stone – @Chris Tanev
@Nikita Zadorov – @Erik Gudbranson
@Michael Stone – @Chris Tanev
@Nikita Zadorov – @Erik Gudbranson
@Jacob Markstrom likely starts coming off a strong performance against Tampa Bay, backed up by @Daniel Vladar. The expected extras are @Michael Stone, @Brett Ritchie and @Brad Richardson. It’s a back-to-back, though, so we’ll see how the Flames juggle their goalies.
Update: Oliver Kylington is out day-to-day (lower body), so Michael Stone slots in.
On one hand, the Flames have played really well lately in a general sense. They battled well and played well defensively in recent wins against Edmonton, Colorado and Tampa Bay. But they’ve been defensively leaky from time to time – old habits die hard, it seems – and they’ve had challenges against some of the “weaker” opponents, such as Montreal and Vancouver.
This is a winnable game, but the Flames will need to maintain their commitment to the details to get two points.
The Red Wings
Projected lines via Daily Faceoff:
@Vladislav Namestnikov – @Dylan Larkin – @Lucas Raymond
@Jakub Vrana – @Joe Veleno – @Sam Gagner
@Adam Erne – @Michael Rasmussen – @Filip Zadina
@Givani Smith – @Pius Suter – @Taro Hirose
@Jakub Vrana – @Joe Veleno – @Sam Gagner
@Adam Erne – @Michael Rasmussen – @Filip Zadina
@Givani Smith – @Pius Suter – @Taro Hirose
@Nick Leddy – @Moritz Seider
@Jordan Oesterle – @Filip Hronek
@Marc Staal – @Troy Stecher
@Jordan Oesterle – @Filip Hronek
@Marc Staal – @Troy Stecher
@Thomas Greiss starts for Detroit, backed up by @Alex Nedeljkovic. The projected extras are @Olli Juolevi and @Gustav Lindstrom.
The Red Wings have had a rough season. They’re a young team, prone to inconsistency and mistakes as they learn and grow. They’ve also had rough injury luck, most recently a season-ending injury to Robby Fabbri. They’ve won once in their last seven games. They’ve allowed 20 goals over their last three games.
They’re very much looking forward to the draft and a fresh start next season.
The numbers
Calgary | Detroit | |
Wins | 35 | 24 |
Points (%) | 77 (.675) | 55 (.474) |
Adjusted Corsi For | 56.9% | 45.3% |
Expected Goals For | 55.3% | 47.4% |
Power Play | 23.0% | 17.5% |
Penalty Kill | 85.3% | 73.6% |
Unfit to play
The Flames are healthy.
The Red Wings are without Tyler Bertuzzi, Robby Fabbri, Mitchell Stephens and Carter Rowney.
When last we met
The Flames visited Detroit back in October and won 3-0.
Know thy enemy
Your recommended Twitter follows for tonight’s contest:
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