Life without Matthew Tkachuk continues (and ends) tonight when the Calgary Flames take on the Nashville Predators.
The 3M line, well 2/3 of it and Sam Bennett, was good last time out but the Flames had to alter three lines as a result of Tkachuk's absence, which led to a watered down bottom-6 being exposed.
Being outplayed by the Washington Capitals isn't something new to teams but the gap likely would have been smaller had Tkachuk played and everyone else remained in their regular slot.
The Predators will be another stiff test. They have managed at least a point in 28 of their 36 home games this season and, like the Flames, have a lot riding on tonight's game.
If the Flames win, they'd be a point out of 2nd in the Pacific. If they lose, they'd be three points back of Anaheim and Edmonton (assuming they beat the Avs) while sitting just one ahead of Nashville, who has a game in hand.
This is a big game.
Here are the expected line combinations for the Flames:
Sam Bennett - Mikael Backlund - Michael Frolik Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Micheal Ferland Kris Versteeg - Matt Stajan - Troy Brouwer Lance Bouma - Freddie Hamilton - Alex Chiasson
Mark Giordano - Dougie Hamilton T.J. Brodie - Michael Stoned Matt Bartkowski - Deryk Engelland
Brian Elliott
And the expected lines for the Preds (via dailyfaceoff.com):
Filip Forsberg - Ryan Johansen - Viktor Arvidsson Colin Wilson - Mike Fisher - Craig Smith Kevin Fiala - Calle Jarnkrok - James Neal Cody McLeod - Colton Sissons - Austin Watson
Roman Josi - Ryan Ellis Mattias Ekholm - P.K. Subban Matt Irwin - Yannick Weber
Pekka Rinne
A few notes:
1) The Bennett - Backlund - Frolik line outshot and out-chanced the Caps by a decent margin but had nothing to show for it. The Flames need them to play well, and find the scoresheet, tonight because they're not likely to get much from the bottom-6.
2) The Flames control ~43% of the shot attempts with the Bartkowski - Engelland pairing on the ice. If they get caught out against any of Nashville's top players it's going to be ugly.
3) The Preds are near the bottom of the league in 5v4 scoring chance generation and only a handful of teams have allowed more chances while up a man. The Backlund - Frolik PK duo may be able to take advantage of that and generate some offense while undermanned.
Tonight's game is scheduled for 8:00 eastern and can be seen on SNF and FS-TN.