Five things to watch when the Calgary Flames take on the Los Angeles Kings:
1. Another fast start Less than two weeks ago the Flames hosted (at the time) a struggling Vegas team that was in a very tough spot. They were set to play for the fourth time in six nights and in a road back-to-back. The Flames came out flying and the game was all but over by the time the 1st period concluded.
Tonight they get an even worse Kings team in a near identical spot. This is a road back-to-back. This is a four in six situation. It is also a five in seven situation. The Kings are as drained as any team can be in today's NHL. Not only that, but they're horrible. They sit tied for last with 19 points and their season is essentially over. They are bad, they're in an awful spot, and they have little motivation. If the Flames start fast, they could put the game away before it really gets going.
2. Mike Smith Smith is coming off arguably his best showing of the season. He faced 29 shots, 11 high-danger chances, and conceded just once against Arizona. In an effort to get him going, and back into a spot where the team can be comfortable he'll provide at least average goaltending more often than not, the Flames will give him the nod in this borderline lay-up spot against a tired, bad, Kings team. If he can't put forth a decent performance, it might be time for the Flames to seriously consider outside options.
3. A smash spot for the power play Calgary is running hot on the man advantage having scored eight times over the last seven games. Tonight they get an absolute dream matchup vs the Kings. They rank 24th in attempts against/60, 25th in expected goals against/60 and 29th in goals against/60. They are really bad while down a man and playing tired won't do them any favors. Don't be surprised if the Flames do some damage on the PP in this one.
4. Ilya Kovalchuk's usage To say the Kings are god awful offensively is probably an understatement. They rank 31st in goals, 31st in scoring chances, and 30th in high-danger chances. Their solution to get going? Cutting the ice time of Ilya Kovalchuk, the team's 2nd leading scorer. He has averaged less than 10 minutes per game over the last three. He is a strong finisher on a team severely lacking that ability so you'd think they'd want him playing more, not less. If his ice is limited again tonight, they're only doing the Flames a favor.
5. James Neal Calgary's marquee free agent signing is struggling, to say the least. He has gone pointless at 5v5 in 11 consecutive games. Making matters worse is he's averaging just 1.3 chances per at 5v5 over his last nine. He's not scoring, nor is he creating. The Flames desperately need to find a way to get him more involved. The shot hasn't gone anywhere so if they can get him some looks, he should still be able to finish them.
Here are the projected lineups:
Calgary
Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Elias Lindholm Matthew Tkachuk - Mikael Backlund - Sam Bennett Austin Czarnik - Derek Ryan - James Neal Ryan Lomberg - Mark Jankowski - Garnet Hathaway
Mark Giordano - T.J. Brodie Noah Hanifin - Travis Hamonic Oliver Kylington - Rasmus Andersson
Mike Smith
Los Angeles (via dailyfaceoff.com)
Alex Iafallo - Anze Kopitar - Dustin Brown Kyle Clifford - Jeff Carter - Tyler Toffoli Ilya Kovalchuk - Adrian Kempe - Matt Luff Austin Wagner - Nate Thompson - Sheldon Rempal
Derek Forbert - Drew Doughty Jake Muzzin - Alec Martinez Dion Phaneuf - Paul Ladue
Cal Petersen
Puck drop is just after 9:00 eastern and can be seen on SNW and FS-W.
Numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com and Corsica.Hockey
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