The Calgary Flames return to action tonight when they play host to the Arizona Coyotes.
They'll be looking to rebound following a dud of a performance against Toronto in which they registered only 20 shots on goal (season low) and 21 scoring chances (tied for the season low).
On the surface, one would assume they'll have no problem doing so against an Arizona team that sits 31st in the NHL but it may be a tougher task than you'd think.
The Coyotes still aren't playing great hockey but they have really tightened up defensive of late. Over the last nine games, they actually rank 12th in scoring chance suppression at 5v5 – for perspective, the Flames rank 23rd during that time – and haven't been bleeding quality looks like they were earlier in the season.
I still wouldn't consider them a stout team, but if you're expecting the Coyotes to hand the Flames Grade A chances on a silver platter all night you'll probably be disappointed.
Here are the projected lineups:
Calgary
Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Michael Ferland Matthew Tkachuk - Mikael Backlund - Michael Frolik Sam Bennett - Mark Jankowski - Troy Brouwer Freddie Hamilton - Matt Stajan - Garnet Hathaway
Mark Giordano - Dougie Hamilton T.J. Brodie - Travis Hamonic Brett Kulak - Michael Stone
Mike Smith
Arizona (via DailyFaceoff.com)
Brendan Perlini - Derek Stepan - Tobias Rieder Clayton Keller - Brad Richardson - Dylan Strome Max Domi - Christian Dvorak - Christian Fischer Zac Rinaldo - Nick Cousins - Anthony Duclair
Oliver Ekman-Larsson - Jason Demers Alex Goligoski - Niklas Hjalmarsson Kevin Connauton - Luke Schenn
Scott Wedgewood
What to watch:
1) Keller has points in just three of his last 11 games but don't let that fool you – he's still generating a ton of quality looks. He is tied with Monahan for 10th in scoring chances and has more than superstars like Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, and Steven Stamkos. This guy – like Gaudreau – can make something happen every time the puck touches his stick so the Flames need to stick to him like glue. Keeping tight gaps in the neutral zone and preventing easy entries will be important, too.
2) In ~75 minutes together, the Perlini - Stepan - Rieder line has controlled just over 43% of the shot attempts. Generally, I think it's smart for Glen Gulutzan to avoid using his top line against the opposition's but I don't think this is a matchup he has to worry about.
3) Wedgewood has allowed 10 goals on 85 shots over his last four appearances. He's still trying to establish himself as an NHL goaltender and is clearly not at his best right now, so the Flames should make it a priority to get as many pucks and bodies to the net as possible.
4) The Flames have gotten nothing out of their bottom-6 of late and, given the line combinations, that's probably not going to change tonight. The top-6 will really need to carry the load and take advantage of some of the favorable matchups they'll get.
5) The Coyotes are 11th in scoring chances/60 on the man advantage while the Flames rank 26th in chances against/60 and 29th in goals against/60. Discipline will continue to be key until they find a way to solve their PK woes.
Puck drop is just after 9:00 eastern and can be seen on SNF and FS-A.
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