The 43-29-5 (91 points) Dallas Stars roll into Calgary to play the 47-20-10 Flames (104 points).
Here is the projected lineup courtesy of Pat Steinberg (@Fan960Steinberg) followed by storylines to bite into before the game.
Goaltending aside, no lineup changes from Tuesday.
Gaudreau-Lindholm-Tkachuk Mangiapane-Backlund-Toffoli Dube-Jarnkrok-Coleman Lucic-Lewis-Ritchie Hanifin-Andersson Kylington-Tanev Zadorov-Gudbranson
Markstrom
Cornering the Beast The Stars finish off a three game road trip tonight and currently have zero points to show for it. They have a two point lead and a game in hand on the Golden Knights for the final wild card spot.
That sets the table for some very desperate hockey.
The problem?
The Calgary Flames have lost their last two games featuring desperate teams seeking to carve out a playoff spot. 6-1 to the Golden Knights last Thursday and 3-2 in OT to the Predators last Tuesday.
Also, of mind is that Dallas may be a first round opponent. All of this could lead to tonight’s game being a spicy one.
Sharpening the Defence The Flames have been one of the better defensive teams in the league this season. Their 2.48 goals against per games played is good for 3rd in the league.
Unfortunately, they’re only in 3rd due to the excellent numbers posted in the first half.
Over ten games in April so far, the Flames are defending at a 2.70GA/GP clip. Good for 5th in the NHL. Teams above them?
4. Bruins - 2.67 3. Canucks - 2.13 2. Oilers - 1.87 1. Rangers - 1.33
The Flames have an opportunity to get their systems in order. The Stars have had issues scoring goals lately. Over 11 games in April they rank 26th overall in defence at 2.55GA/GP.
Whittle it down to their last five games and it gets worse. 30th in the NHL at 1.80GF/GP. The Stars are getting cold at the wrong time of the season.
Puck drops around 7:10pm mst.
Trevor Neufeld
@Trevor_Neufeld
Stats via naturalstattrick.com and nhl.com.