Follow Colin on Twitter! Follow @ColinDJD Good day sports fans, it’s game day and the Calgary Flames will have their hands full against the Montreal Canadiens tonight!
Coming off a relative poor effort against the Edmonton Oilers last night, the Canadiens will look for redemption as they take on the second Albertan team. Both Canadian teams have been playing well with the Flames sitting 3rd in the Pacific Division and les Habitants in first in the Atlantic.
Outside of last night, Montreal hasn’t exactly had any problems finding the back of the net, however playing the Oilers a little too soft lead to Ben Scrivens finishing the night with a shutout – and I just dropped him in my fantasy pool, too.
That being said, tonight will be a good test for both groups as the Flames will see how their young roster compares to the speedy and shifty roster of the Canadiens. With their last win in January of 2002 at the Saddledome, history is in favour of the home team and Montreal coach Michel Terrien is aware of the challenge which can be faced tonight.
"We've got a tough schedule. Another big game awaits us in Calgary, so we're just taking things one game at a time," Therrien said.
That being said, the Flames haven’t exactly had much luck at home so far in this young season with a current home record of 1-2-1. Their latest effort against the Washington Capitals wasn’t exactly pretty hockey and in this writer’s opinion, should have ended different had they decided to show up.
"That was probably the worst game we've played in a little bit, but on the other side, that team played well," Wideman said.
Calgary will get a little help in their lineup tonight as David Jones is set to rejoin his linemates. Jones has missed eight straight games to start the season with a lower body injury. He has been working hard on and off the ice and is hoping to help his team battle against a hot Montreal team tonight.
You get a little tired of just practising and bag-skating every day,… Jones said. “It’s necessary, but you play to play in the games. That’s where the fun is. I’ve been working hard the last few weeks, and I feel good, so I’m excited to be back in a game.…
Out of the lineup is likely Matt Stajan who has been nursing an upper body injury and is considered day to day.
As with many of their tougher contests this season, the outcome of this game will likely rest on the shoulders of the better netminder. With Carey Price slated to start tonight for the Canadiens, I would expect Jonas Hiller to get the nod and show the home crowd what he can do against an offensive team.
Hiller currently sits with a 1.78GAA and a respectable .948 SV% while Price holds a 2.67GAA and sits with a .913 SV%. Calgary is currently ranked 2nd in terms of blocked shots while Montreal isn't far behind in 5th. Similarly, and in terms of their physical game, Calgary sits at 10th in hits whereas the Canadiens are ranked 15th. I expect this game to be a little quicker than rough, however watch for Calgary to try and dominate the body play in the corners and in their own end.
While the Flames have been known to keep games close, I don’t expect this one to be a one goal game. Whichever team comes out of the gates hungrier and sticks to their game plan should find the back of the net early and often.
Prediction: 4-2 Canadiens.
Thanks for reading!