The Calgary Flames conclude their mini three-game homestand tonight when they play host to the Anaheim Ducks.
The Flames picked up much needed wins over two good teams in Chicago and Los Angeles and will be looking to conclude the sweep tonight against Anaheim.
While the standings don't necessarily reflect it yet, the Ducks look to be a solid team again and are certainly not one to take lightly.
They've been decimated by injuries all season long yet they're just one point back of San Jose for a divisional playoff spot.
They're starting to get healthy now and are playing much better as they own a respectable 5-3-2 over the last 10 games and their underlying numbers are trending upwards in a big way.
This will be another stiff test for a Flames team still in desperate need of points.
Here are the projected lineups:
Calgary
Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Michael Ferland Matthew Tkachuk - Mikael Backlund - Troy Brouwer Sam Bennett - Mark Jankowski - Garnet Hathaway Curtis Lazar - Matt Stajan - Andrew Mangiapane
Mark Giordano - Dougie Hamilton T.J. Brodie - Travis Hamonic Brett Kulak - Michael Stone
Mike Smith
Anaheim (via DailyFaceoff.com)
Antoine Vermette - Ryan Getzlaf - Rickard Rakell Andrew Cogliano - Ryan Kesler - Jakob Silfverberg Nick Ritchie - Adam Henrique - Kevin Roy Chris Wagner - Derek Grant - Logan Shaw
Hampus Lindholm - Josh Manson Cam Fowler - Kevin Bieksa Francois Beauchemin - Brandon Montour
John Gibson
What to watch:
1) Look for Glen Gulutzan to avoid the Gaudreau line vs Lindholm pairing as much as possible. They have by far the best shot suppression numbers on the Ducks and are one of the better defense pairings in the NHL. Among 80 eligible pairings (200+ 5v5 minutes), they rank 7th in expected goals for% and tied for 3rd with a +10 goal differential.
2) The sample size is still very small, obviously, but through two games the Flames have out-attempted their opponents 21-12 and won the high-danger chance battle 4-0 with Mangiapane on the ice. He's accomplished this while playing with the worst possible linemates to generate offense. Even if he plays primarily on the 4th unit, I still think the Flames would be smart to give him an extra shift here and there on the 2nd unit.
3) Rakell is quietly having a fantastic season for the Ducks. Despite a revolving door of linemates, he's managed to pile up 31 points in 37 games and has as many 5v5 points (22) as the likes of Vladimir Tarasenko, Auston Matthews, Taylor Hall, Blake Wheeler and Jamie Benn. The Backlund line sans Frolik is going to have its hands full.
4) The Ducks have taken 192 penalties and have a league-worst -41 penalty differential through 42 games. For perspective, the Flames have taken 159 and have a +7 differential. They should see their fair share of power plays tonight.
5) Giordano has recorded 9+ shot attempts in six of his last eight games after doing it just twice in the first 32 games. If you're into DFS, he seems like a good play. Has a high floor with how much he's been shooting.
Puck drop is just after 10:00 eastern and can be seen on CBC, SN, PRIME.