The Calgary Flames will give fans a little taste of the future on Thursday night as goaltending prospect Jon Gillies is expected to make his NHL debut against the Los Angeles Kings.
Gillies has had somewhat of an up and down year in his first full season since returning from a serious hip injury. Still, he's held his own in the AHL and has consistently posted above average numbers everywhere he has played so I'd bet on him getting back on track. I think it just could be one of those things where he's not fully up to speed even though the injury is technically healed.
The Flames will be banking on him for a quality showing tonight against the Kings. This isn't just a scenario where the Flames are mailing in the couple games and have given up on playoff seeding (realistically, they get either Anaheim or Chicago. There's no easy/preferable matchup there). They still want to win but giving Brian Elliott a night off is important, especially considering his last 'night off' resulted in him playing 55 minutes of the hockey game.
Hopefully a similar situation doesn't play out again tonight as the Flames need Elliott healthy and rested for the playoffs.
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 - Alex Chiasson Curtis Lazar - Matt Stajan - Troy Brouwer
Mark Giordano - Dougie Hamilton T.J. Brodie - Michael Stone Matt Bartkowski - Deryk Engelland
Jon Gillies
And the expected lines for the Kings (via dailyfaceoff.com):
Tanner Pearson - Anze Kopitar - Tyler Toffoli Adrian Kempe - Jeff Carter - Jarome Iginla Trevor Lewis - Alex Roach - Dustin Brown Kyle Clifford - Nic Dowd - Jonny Brodzinski
Derek Forbort - Drew Doughty Jake Muzzin - Alec Martinez Brayden McNabb - Paul Ladue
Jonathan Quick
A few notes:
1) Lazar will be playing in just his third game as a Flame and first since March 21st against Washington. This could be his last chance to impress before the playoffs begin so he'll need to be good if he wants to be in the lineup a week from now.
2) The Kings are 6th in 5v5 scoring chances per 60 over the last 10 games and scored six goals against Edmonton the other night. Their offense is starting to come alive so Gillies will be tested.
3) More than anything else, I think discipline and composure are key tonight. The Flames have playoff hockey to worry about. The Kings do not. Don't get sucked into all the crap, fight and risk injury.
Tonight's game is scheduled for 10:30 eastern and can be seen on SN360 and FS-W.
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