The Calgary Flames played a very strong game in Minnesota a couple days ago but couldn't convert on their abundance of chances and failed to pick up a needed two points a result.
Tonight they'll be looking to rebound – and reclaim a playoff spot – when they host a divisional opponent in the San Jose Sharks.
The Sharks enter this game playing some of their best hockey of the season. They own a 6-2-2 record over the last 10 games and rank 5th in the NHL with a 54 Corsi For% during that span so it's no fluke they're starting to pile up the points.
Meanwhile, the Flames have an almost identical 53.9 Corsi For% – and have controlled a larger share of the chances than the Sharks – over the last 10 but have just four wins to show for it.
They've played very well and haven't gotten the results they deserve. That should change sooner than later.
Here are the projected lineups:
Calgary
Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Michael Ferland Matthew Tkachuk - Mikael Backlund - Michael Frolik Sam Bennett - Mark Jankowski - Garnet Hathaway Curtis Lazar - Matt Stajan - Troy Brouwer
Mark Giordano - Dougie Hamilton T.J. Brodie - Travis Hamonic Brett Kulak - Michael Stone
Mike Smith
San Jose (via DailyFaceoff.com)
Melker Karlsson - Joe Thornton - Joe Pavelski Tomas Hertl - Logan Couture - Kevin Labanc Timo Meier - Chris Tierney - Joonas Donskoi Jannik Hansen - Marcus Sorensen - Daniel O'Regan
Brendan Dillon - Brent Burns Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Justin Braun Dylan Demelo - Tim Heed
Aaron Dell
What to watch:
1) The Hertl - Couture - Labanc line has been dominant together as they've out-attempted opponents 39-18 (68.4CF%). The sample size is small, of course, but that's probably the line the Flames should be most worried about. The top line only has one of the Sharks' top-8 chance generators at 5v5.
2) Young Sam Bennettâ„¢ has quietly piled up eight points and 24 scoring chances in his last eight games. He's really rebounded from a disastrous start to the season.
3) Brent Burns is a big reason for the Sharks' recent surge up the standings. He has tallied 11 points in his last 10 games, and has three consecutive multi-point games, after recording just seven in his first 19. Burns is back on track and is shooting a *ton* so the Flames will have to pay special attention to him and ensure they're always covering the trailer and pressuring the point.
4) The Sharks rank 8th in chance generation on the power play while the Flames rank 29th in chance suppression down a man. They need to stay disciplined and avoid that matchup as much as possible.
5) Smith has stopped 71-75, good for a .946 save percentage, over his last three starts. He hasn't been tested a ton – the defense has been really good – but he appears to have found his game again.
Puck drop is just after 9:00 eastern and can be seen on SNF and NBCSCA.
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