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G28 Calgary Flames vs Anaheim Ducks: Gaudreau returns!

December 4, 2016, 11:48 AM ET [72 Comments]
Todd Cordell
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The Calgary Flames conclude their three-game homestand tonight as they play host to the Anaheim Ducks.

The Ducks have given the Flames all kinds of trouble in recent years but there's reason to believe the tables may turn on this night.

Calgary is 7-3-1 in their last 11 games and have quietly been playing much better of late. Kris Versteeg's return has sparked the offense a bit, Sean Monahan is starting to contribute, the '2nd line' continues to be fantastic and Chad Johnson has been as good as any goaltender in hockey over the last month.

Put it all together and a Flames team that was almost out of the playoff race early is back in the thick of things. Factor in Johnny Gaudreau is set to return well ahead of schedule tonight and all of the sudden things are looking pretty good for the Flames.

They're tied for a Wild Card spot right now (but lose the tiebreaker due to games played) and are just three back of Anaheim for a divisional playoff spot. Another win tonight gets them within striking distance.

Here are the expected line combinations for the Flames:

Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Kris Versteeg
Matthew Tkachuk - Mikael Backlund - Michael Frolik
Sam Bennett - Matt Stajan - Troy Brouwer
Micheal Ferland - Freddie Hamilton - Alex Chiasson

Mark Giordano - Dougie Hamilton
T.J. Brodie - Dennis Wideman
Jyrki Jokipakka - Deryk Engelland

Chad Johnson

And the expected lines for the Ducks:

Rickard Rakell - Ryan Getzlaf - Corey Perry
Andrew Cogliano - Ryan Kesler - Jakob Silfverberg
Nick Ritchie - Antoine Vermette - Ondrej Kase
Logan Shaw/Jared Boll - Chris Wagner - Ryan Garbutt

Cam Fowler - Sami Vatanen
Hampus Lindholm - Josh Manson
Shea Theodore - Kevin Bieksa

Jonathan Bernier

A few notes:

1) Calgary's penalty kill has been better of late but testing Anaheim's power play is not something they'll want to do. Only San Jose is better in terms of shot generation and no team gets more scoring chances per 60 on the PP than Anaheim. Stay out of the box.

2) Johnson has allowed just 14 goals over his last nine starts and owns a .948 save percentage in that span. He's not going to sustain those kinds of numbers over time -- not even Carey Price can do that -- but he's clearly in the zone right now. If he gives the Flames another strong start tonight they should come away with two points.

3) Bieksa has been a disaster this season with the Ducks controlling ~42% of the shots and scoring chances when he's on the ice at 5v5. The Flames' top-6 should be able to eat him alive any time they get that matchup.

Tonight's game is scheduled for 9:30 eastern and can be seen on SN-West, SN360 and FS-W.

Recent posts:

On Johnson's dominant run, Monahan showing signs of life and more

Flames fall to Islanders but survive lengthy road trip

Predicting the Pacific Division standings

Pacific Division bold predictions

Pacific Division breakout players
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