The Calgary Flames will be challenged tonight at home against the Detroit Red Wings who have been playing quite well of late.
With a stronger current record of 7-4-2, the Wings should be a good test for the Flames given their level of veteran presence in addition to the quality of their youth. That said, the Flames are currently 3-1-1 at home and have been playing quite well themselves, despite missing some key players in Mark Giordano and Lee Stempniak.
Although I wouldn’t fault Karri Ramo for the loss of their last game, the new tender didn’t have a great game and as such is likely to sit tonight as the former Wings’ netminder Joey MacDonald gets the start. MacDonald has played some decent hockey to this point for the Flames, in spite of his current 3.01GAA and .894 SV%.
“When you spent that much time with the team and a lot of guys over there, it kinda boosts your energy a little bit and try to put yourself up to the game a little more, put a little more pressure on,… he said.“You want to do well against your former team.…
Moving forward, expect Hartley to test out both goalies while playing the hotter hand. Still fighting for the starting position, Karri Ramo will need to continue to work on his lateral movements and glove hand as they have both been problems for him so far this season.
After a somewhat disappointing loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night, the Flames are looking to bounce back and walk away with two points tonight which they felt were “stolen… from them a few days ago.
"It's just so frustrating right now," forward Joe Colborne said. "I thought we played a pretty good game from the top on down. We were going to the net hard, we were creating secondary rebound chances and it was just one of those nights where things aren't going to go in."
If Calgary can maintain puck pressure like they did against the Leafs and also come up with as many strong scoring opportunities and or shots on net, tonight could be another win for the home team. Without Giordano in the lineup, Kris Russell has been getting a lot of ice time which I feel might start to become a problem.
Not used to playing such high ice times, Russell may not be able to maintain this play for much longer and the coaching staff may need to address their backend situation sometime soon. Up until now, however, Russell has been playing some solid defensive hockey.
Tonight will not only be a big game for Joey MacDonald, but Jiri Hudler as well who has only faced his prior team just once since being acquired from the Flames. The veteran forward has been having a very strong start to his 2013-14 campaign and currently holds a team high 13pts in 12gp. Look for a lot of energy out of his line tonight, in addition to Mike Cammalleri who will need to come up big.
Scratched last game due to a weak start to his year, Mikael Backlund is expected to be back in the lineup tonight but will have to regain his coach’s trust if he is going to get more ice time. Given his age on this team, Backlund is expected to be one of the few young players who needed to have a breakout year and show that they were ready to take the next step in their professional careers.
“I wasn’t very pleased to scratch him, but I felt I had to do it,… Hartley said following Thursday’s practice. “We had a great talk and I’m sure he’s going to bounce back. I don’t want him in a limited role all year. He’s a young prospect for us even though he’s been in the organization for a few years now and I think he has a lot to offer, and I want to be a partner with him and help him bring it on the ice.…
That’s all for today folks, thanks for reading!