What to watch as the Calgary Flames prepare to host Vegas
The situation is clear and daunting. Heading into their home clash with the Western Conference-leading Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, the Calgary Flames are in tough to make the Stanley Cup playoffs.
With 10 games remaining, the Flames must somehow finish ahead of two of three teams: the Seattle Kraken, Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators.
Seattle, which has 12 games left on the docket, is six points up on the Flames. Winnipeg also has 10 games remaining, owns a four-point edge on Calgary and right now boasts an advantage in any tiebreakers. As for the Predators, they sit one point behind the Flames but have three games in hand.
Yikes. Double yikes. Make it triple yikes.
“We know the situation we’ve been in,” forward Andrew Mangiapane said to the media after Tuesday’s 5-1 win in Anaheim. “We kind of did this to ourselves and now it’s time for us to see what we’re really made of.”
On the plus side for the Flames, they boast a 2-0-1 record this season against the Golden Knights, including a 7-2 victory a week ago. On the negative, the Flames have a disappointing 16-14-4 home record.
Here are three keys to watch when the puck drops:
Who’s in? Who’s out? The Flames won without defenseman Chris Tanev in Anaheim and there is no word whether he will play. Tanev has missed 11 games this season and Calgary has a 3-5-3 record without him. Even though the Flames won three of the last four games he has missed, they are better when he is in the lineup. As for the forwards, Jakob Pelletier and Adam Ruzicka sat last game. It’s hard to imagine taking Walker Duehr or Nick Ritchie out of the lineup after strong performances. Maybe Milan Lucic sits, and Pelletier goes back in, but don’t be surprised if it is the same lineup the Anaheim win.
Can Calgary’s power play keep clicking? Over the last seven games, the Flames are 6-for-19 on the power play. They need more of the same, especially at the Saddledome. While Calgary has a top-third mark with the man-advantage while on the road, the 17.8 percent performance at home is near the bottom of the league.
Who goes between the pipes for Vegas?Jonathan Quick has taken the reins since the Golden Knights acquired him at the deadline and won five of six games. His lone loss was that 7-2 affair. Calgary also put a six-pack past earlier this season Quick when he was with the Los Angeles Kings. Calgary product Logan Thompson is back from injury and could receive the nod, but not played since Feb. 9. Adin Hill, who grew up in Calgary, is not yet cleared to play. Maybe the Golden Knights, knowing the Flames have struggled against unknown goalies, should consider summoning back Jiri Petera for his third career NHL game.
QUICK HITS: Vegas has won five consecutive road games and tied a franchise record with 22 victories away from Sin City this season … Quick is now second in wins among U.S.-born goaltenders with 375, trailing only Ryan Miller (391) … Forward Reilly Smith has collected four goals and 11 points in a franchise record-tying nine-game point streak … Calgary right winger Tyler Toffoli equaled a career-high with three assists in Anaheim and has netted nine points in a four-game point streak, while defenseman Noah Hanifin has collected six points in a six-game run … Center Mikael Backlund collected two helpers in Anaheim giving him a career high of 32 this season. He needs four points to equal a career-best of 53.