The scorching hot Calgary Flames, winners of nine straight, are back in action tonight looking to take their winning streak into double digits and grab the Pacific Division's No. 2 seed in the process.
The Flames have beaten up on some quality teams during this stretch -- Montreal and Nashville come to mind, among others -- but the Pittsburgh Penguins will undoubtedly be their toughest test yet.
Pittsburgh is pretty banged up, particularly on the back end, but last year's defending Stanley Cup champs have not let that derail their season at all. The Penguins have scored 22 goals over a five-game winning streak and are just one point back of Washington for top spot in the NHL.
They're on their game, and also have a lot to play for, so the Flames must be at their best tonight if they're going to extend their streak to 10 straight wins. Either way, it's safe to say we're in for a good one.
Here are the expected line combinations for the Flames:
Matthew Tkachuk - Mikael Backlund - Michael Frolik Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Micheal Ferland Kris Versteeg - Sam Bennett - Troy Brouwer Lance Bouma - Matt Stajan -…‹ …‹Alex Chiasson
Mark Giordano - Dougie Hamilton T.J. Brodie - Deryk Engelland Matt Bartkowski - Dennis Wideman
Brian Elliott
And the expected lines for the Penguins (via dailyfaceoff.com):
Jake Guentzel - Sidney Crosby - Conor Sheary Chris Kunitz - Evgeni Malkin - Phil Kessel Scott Wilson - Nick Bonino - Carter Rowney Oskar Sundqvist - Matt Cullen - Tom Kuhnhackl
Brian Dumoulin - Justin Schultz Mark Streit - Ron Hainsey Ian Cole - Chad Ruhwedel
Matt Murray
A few notes:
1) Over the last 10 games, the Flames are controlling better than 54% of the scoring chances 5v5 (2nd) and out-scoring their opponents 27-8 in that game state. They're destroying teams right now.
2) Brian Elliott has allowed two goals or fewer in nine of his last 10 starts while the Penguins have scored 22 goals over the last five games (4.4 per). Which trend continues tonight?
3) Pittsburgh has the NHL's 3rd best power play and the Flames are 27th in penalties per game. If they parade to the box tonight, which has been a problem for much of the season, the Penguins will make them pay.
Tonight's game is scheduled for 9:00 eastern and can be seen on SN-W and ROOT.
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