Update: Per Pat Steinberg: it looks like Marc Andre Fleury won’t be getting the start today. Read into this how you will, but Arvid Soderblom will be getting his first NHL start after going into the game to relieve Collin Delia of his duties yesterday.
It’s possible that Blackhawks Head Coach Derek King doesn’t want Fleury hung out to dry. The 37 year old hasn’t played since December 17th and Chicago’s team defence isn’t playing adequately. Being thrown to the wolves, like today has the potential to turn into, would be tough on Marc Andre’s morale. It took a good amount of convincing to get him to accept a trade to the Windy City.
Update 2: James Neal has been placed on waivers.
Update 3: Dustin Wolf is playing in today’s Stockton Heat game, so it’s fair to assume Chechelev is Kansas City(ECHL) bound.
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The Calgary Flames are set to continue their road trip today at 5:00pm MST against the limping 11-16-4 Chicago Blackhawks squad that has only won one of their last five games. With future Hall of Fame goalie Marc Andre Fleury in COVID protocol this last week, the Blackhawks were most recently caved in at 5v5 against the Nashville Predators to the tune of a 6-1 blowout loss yesterday. Although Fleury is now cleared to resume play, Blackhawks fans should maybe just focus on the Bears game today. Calgary’s road record is an absurd .722% and Chicago played just 24 hours ago. Vegas oddsmakers have the Flames as the -220 favourite— to be honest it should be more skewed.
No word on lineup changes beyond Assistant Coach Ryan Huska stating “there’s still a few things being thrown around.… Lines will be updated at warmups.
Gaudreau-Lindholm-Tkachuk Lucic-Backlund-Coleman Mangiapane-Dube-Pitlick Richardson-Monahan-Lewis
Hanifin-Andersson Kylington-Tanev Zadorov-Gudbranson
Markstrom
Finding a way to win It’s been a pleasant surprise to see the Flames manage to avoid losing games they really should win against weaker opponents this season. It sounds simple, but this has been an issue for the organization for decades. The Seattle game was yet another example of the team managing to impose their offence when needed in order to pry momentum out of the Giordano-led Kraken’s control.
Today will be another test of that. While their record is 1-2-2 in their last five and, to be honest, they looked horrible on the ice yesterday— it’s not unreasonable to say that the Blackhawks could take the role of underdog and run with it. Ask any Oilers fan about the perils of underestimating the Chicago Blackhawks.
Despite selling off some of their key contributors at the deadline in 2019, the Blackhawks still managed to make short work of Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers, defeating them 3-1 in a best of five play-in round. One of the more embarrassing upsets in recent history.
Home games postponed The NHL announced the postponement of nine more games including the January 11th and 15th Flames home games. They were set to play the Islanders and the Golden Knights respectively.
COVID casualties continue It appears COVID-19 has made its way onto the Stockton Heat roster. On new year’s eve Jusso Valimaki, Adam Werner, and Mattias Emilio Pettersen were added to COVID protocol. Later that day the Heat fell 4-0 to the San Jose Barracuda. With Werner in protocol and Wolf called up, third stringer Andrew Shortridge got his first AHL start of the season.
The much hyped goaltending prospect Daniil Chechelev served as backup in the game and may get his first look in AHL action this week if Daniel Vladar’s absence continues to disrupt the pecking order. The 20 year old from Khabarovsk, Russia has posted a .894 save percentage in 12 ECHL games this season— par for the course for most ECHL goalies his age, but still good for 9th last in the league. Save percentage is more often than not a team based statistic, or at least that’s what Daniil should be reminding himself.
You don’t hear of too many players coming from Khabarovsk. It is the central city of the Russian Far East. Chechelev was born far closer to Tokyo, Hong Kong and Seoul than he was to Moscow.
Enjoy the game,
Trevor Neufeld