Tonight the Calgary Flames will look to even out their series against the Anaheim Ducks.
In order to do that they'll have to snap their 28-game losing streak at the Honda Center. While that kind of streak doesn't exactly leave a lot of reason for optimism, the Flames' performance in Game 1 should.
The Ducks have been arguably the best team in hockey over the last 15-20 games and the Flames played with them from start to finish. They actually out-attempted and out-chanced the Ducks by decent margins at 5v5, however, some bad penalties and one of the worst line changes in history turned out to be the difference. Still, the Flames have to be encouraged with how the game went. They didn't lose because they couldn't keep up or lacked talent. They lost due to some simple, correctable mental mistakes.
If the Flames stay disciplined and bring the same kind of effort as in Game 1, one would think they have a good chance of heading home with a win in their pocket.
Here are the expected line combinations for the Flames:
Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Micheal Ferland Matthew Tkachuk - Mikael Backlund - Michael Frolik Kris Versteeg - Sam Bennett - Alex Chiasson Lance Bouma - Matt Stajan - Troy Brouwer
Mark Giordano - Dougie Hamilton T.J. Brodie - Michael Stone Matt Bartkowski - Deryk Engelland
Brian Elliott
And the expected lines for the Ducks (via dailyfaceoff.com):
Note: Nick Ritchie is eligible to return from suspension tonight and is expected to play.
Rickard Rakell - Ryan Getzlaf - Patrick Eaves Andrew Cogliano - Ryan Kesler - Jakob Silfverberg Ondrej Kase - Antoine Vermette - Corey Perry Chris Wagner - Nate Thompson - Logan Shaw
Sami Vatanen - Josh Manson Hampus Lindholm - Brandon Montour Shea Theodore - Kevin Bieksa
John Gibson
A few notes:
1) Kesler has shredded Gaudreau and Monahan throughout their young careers but the role was reveresed in G1. The Gaudreau line went head-to-head with the Kesler line for ~9 minutes of 5v5 play on Thursday. In those nine minutes, the Flames out-attempted the Ducks 19-7 and out-chanced them 14-4. The Flames would love a repeat performance.
2) If G1 usage is any indication, the Flames may not get a ton of offense from the Giordano - Hamilton pairing. They started 16 shifts in the defensive zone (compared to four in the offensive zone) and played primarily against the Getzlaf line, which is Anaheim's best offensive unit. Those aren't exactly ideal circumstances for putting up points.
3) Brian Elliott posted a .927 save percentage in G1 and the Flames still lost, obviously. The Ducks have a lot of offensive depth and will get their chances (even without seven power plays) so Elliott will need to be strong once again.
Tonight's game is scheduled for 10:30 eastern and can be seen on CBC and NBCSN.
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