The Calgary Flames haven't come close to playing their best hockey this season and yet they own a solid 4-2-0.
The good news, beyond having eight points banked despite playing just two home games thus far, is they were given a handful of days off, which provided Glen Gulutzan and the coaching staff with ample time to work on fixing some of the early-season problems (like shot suppression).
Tonight they'll have that work put to the test when they host the Carolina Hurricanes. They're annually one of the better teams in the league in terms of controlling play at 5v5 and they're off to another solid start in that regard as they sit 8th in the NHL with a 53.08 Corsi For percentage.
They've played just four games this season, too, so both teams should be well rested and at their best tonight. This should be a fun game between two teams with realistic aspirations of making the playoffs.
Here are the projected lineups:
Calgary
Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Jaromir Jagr Matthew Tkachuk - Mikael Backlund - Michael Frolik Kris Versteeg - Sam Bennett - Curtis Lazar Tanner Glass - Matt Stajan - Troy Brouwer
Mark Giordano - Dougie Hamilton T.J. Brodie - Travis Hamonic Matt Bartkowski - Michael Stone
Mike Smith
Carolina (via DailyFaceoff.com)
Teuvo Teravainen - Jordan Staal - Justin Williams Jeff Skinner - Victor Rask - Derek Ryan Sebastian Aho - Martin Necas - Elias Lindholm Joakim Nordstrom - Marcus Kruger - Josh Jooris
Jaccob Slavin - Brett Pesce Noah Hanifin - Justin Faulk Haydn Fleury - Trevor Carrick
Scott Darling
Five things to watch:
1) While playing primarily against opposing team's best players, the Slavin - Pesce pairing has still found a way to out-shoot, out-chance, and out-score opponents. They're one of the best, most underrated duos in the league and Gulutzan should play the matchups to keep the Gaudreau line away as often as he can.
2) I'm really interested to see how Jagr fares on the top line for the course of a full game. Obviously, speed isn't his best attribute but I think he'll add a needed presence down low and his playmaking ability could nicely compliment a couple really good shooters in Gaudreau and Monahan.
3) Skinner is one guy to really watch for. He's 3rd in the NHL in shot attempts/60 and he's going up against a team that is bottom-5 in suppressing attempts. He could have a good night.
4) Smith started the season really hot but there's been a lengthy wait between games. It'll be interesting to see if he can pick up where he left off.
5) Tkachuk has just one 5v5 goal thus far despite having 15 shots on net and 17 chances in that game state. If he keeps generating quality looks, it's only a matter of time before he's properly rewarded.
Puck drop is just after 9:00ET/7:00MT and can be seen on SNF, FS-CR.
Recent posts: On Jagr, Stajan, and Jankowski