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*Update: Curtis Glencross is expected to be out 6 weeks with an MCL sprain, according to the team.
The Calgary Flames are in for a test as they prepare to take on the (9-2-2) St Louis Blues on the road tonight.
Having played a few tough teams of late, their upcoming schedule doesn’t look any better with the Blues tonight, the Avalanche tomorrow night and the Sharks on Tuesday.
Expecting to be a difficult season given that the team is amidst a rebuild, the Flames continue to maintain that their goals have not changed and that nothing less than hard work night in, night out is to be called for.
That being said, the team has experienced its fair share of challenges with respect to injuries and it appears that Curtis Glencross may be the most recent player to be sidelined. Already missing captain Mark Giordano and veteran forward Lee Stempniak, the Flames are missing some key players in their lineup – something they say will not be looked at as an excuse for subpar performances.
“It thins us out a bit, but like we've always said, it's never about one guy or two guys or three guys. It's about the group and we have to do it together,… said Cammalleri.“You really can't use it as a crutch, because the St. Louis Blues won't be feeling sorry for us. And if you ask anybody in this room that gets to put the jersey on tomorrow night, they feel capable of doing the job.…
While their attitude has been nothing short of commendable, the Flames will certainly have their hands full against a much stronger Blues squad tonight. Having only lost four games in their last 14 played, St Louis has been playing some dominant hockey of late, outscoring their opponents by a healthy 1.63 goals for/against ratio. Furthermore, while they have been a dominant offensive team so far this year, defensively they are currently ranked 6th overall in G/A per game.
Where the Flames could take advantage of this Blues roster will be with their physical and defensive play. Now I know what you are all thinking – Calgary hasn’t been very good defensively. While accurate, a few defensive aspects of their overall game have been quite good outside of critiquing their actual defensemen who have been struggling. Currently ranked 3rd overall in blocked shots, 13th overall in takeaways, and 9th overall in PIM/game, Calgary has improved upon some areas of concern from recent years, despite a clear need for improvement in others.
With respect to tonight’s game, if the Flames can manage to stay out of the box and entice the Blues to take a few penalties of their own(2nd most penalized team), Calgary can take advantage of their 18th ranked penalty kill. Unfortunately for the Flames however, Curtis Glencross appears that he will be missing from the lineup tonight who is used on their top power-play line.
In the absence of Glencross, expect to see rookie Sven Baertschi back in the lineup who has been a healthy scratch more often than most fans would like to see of late. Having a hard time gaining the trust of his headcoach, Baertschi has not been fazed by the decision to be sat as he looks to better his game and work at being a fulltime member of the Flames roster.
“It seems like every time we sit Sven, it’s like the world is ending in Calgary,… Hartley said. I told him on the ice that I want to exactly show him where we need an improvement. At the same time, guys like Jackman, McGrattan and Bouma, they’re bringing something every day to the table. Our No. 1 priority as a coaching staff is to win some games ...“The best way to stay in the lineup on a game-to-game basis is to perform.…
As we’ve discussed a few times now, the coaching staff have made it perfectly clear – those who are working their butts off every night and help their team win will play, those who do not will sit. While Baertschi is one of the Flames top NHL ready prospects, there is a lot of his game that needs to improve and the Flames are not interested in making excuses. Either you play to win and perform, or you sit and watch others do it for you.
Expected to start again tonight after a disappointing 5-1 against the Minnesota Wild, Reto Berra is excited to get between the pipes and help his team win. Receiving a lot of praise from his coach despite allowing a few too many goals, it’s apparent that Hartley see’s potential in Berra who seems slightly more poised and confident while tending the net than has been displayed by Karri Ramo this year.
“I have to say, I think I couldn’t have a better situation than here in Calgary,… Berra said. “It’s my first year over here and I already played my first games. I’m really thankful. It’s just great.…
That's all for today folks, thanks for reading!