Follow Colin on Twitter! Follow @ColinDJD
**If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Calgary / Alberta area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact… button at the top of the page.**
The Calgary Flames are back in action tonight as they take on the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center, concluding their road trip. The Flames have been red hot, going 4-0-0 against a very tough Pacific Division and with a win tonight, the Flames would enter the All-Star Break with a five game winning streak and a perfect road trip, sweeping all their “mighty… opponents.
The Ducks, however, have won four straight games themselves and six of their past seven. They are a very deep and difficult team to play against, so tonight will be a test for the Flames who have had solid goaltending from Joni Ortio during this winning streak, as he has helped the Flames accumulate 8 points since his recent debut.
As I recently mentioned, a win tonight will be nice for the Flames squad who currently sit in the final wild card position with 53 points. They were thought to be out of the playoff discussion just a few weeks ago, and now they are looking to make another strong push and shut the pundits up.
The Flames and Ducks last met on November 25 in Anaheim, where the Ducks took the game by a score of 3-2, with netminder Frederik Andersen making 32 saves on the night. I would expect tonight to be a battle of tenders as both goalies have been hot for their respective teams, so I would almost offer that whichever team can get up on the board first, may have a chance to control the pace of the game and walk away with a big win.
In reference to Ortio getting another straight start, Bob Hartley recently offered that ''the play of Joni Ortio is forcing us to keep him there.'' And rightfully so. The kid has been lights out and deserves to play again. You go with your hot hand, and right now Ortio is your man. You simply can’t sit a hot goalie…ever.
If you missed it yesterday, the Flames made a few roster moves in preperation for tonight's game.
Forward Drew Shore has been sent to the Adirondack Flames of the AHL, and defenceman Tyler Wotherspoon has been recalled. Defenceman Ladislav Smid is now on the Injured Reserve, and Karri Ramo, who has been out since December 8th with an undisclosed injury, is now off the IR. I asked whether or not you felt that the play of Ortio has created an internal controversy with respect to the goalies.
Most feel that Karri Ramo should be the guy who stays behind and that it would be Jonas Hiller that should be traded, however I feel a little different toward this one. With Hiller you are keeping around a veteran presence to help guide and stabilize your upcoming netminders. And while many would hope that his play would be better in certain respects, I think he’s done fine…all things considered.
I would much rather see Ramo moved given that he could fetch a little more, and with Ortio continuing to show promise, I think they can afford to make a move like this without causing any issues moving forward.
What do you think?