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A few notes to get you set for a pivotal clash between Calgary and Montreal:

1. Foot on the throat. Montreal is playing their sixth game in nine nights. Fatigue will be a factor. Even with the importance of this game, it’s going to be an uphill battle for the Canadiens. We saw that last night; Calgary controlled much of the play all night long but it only got worse as the game went on. I mean, the Canadiens didn’t record a single high-danger chance in the 3rd period. They just had nothing in the tank. I expect it’ll be a similar situation tonight. The Flames need to take advantage of that. Don’t parade to the box and put Montreal in favorable offensive situations. Don’t force plays that aren’t there and hand the Canadiens chances. Generating them is going to be difficult against such a structured, conservative Flames team. Make ‘em do it the hard way.

2. No freebies. Jacob Markstrom has been really up and down the last few months. There’s somewhat of an excuse for it now – he’s being worked into the ground – but the Flames have absolutely no margin for error. They need Markstrom to be good. Not great, good. They’ll make life easier for him by limiting the shots and keeping most from range. They just need him to make the saves he’s supposed to. If he does that, the Flames have a very real shot of picking up another huge win and getting within striking distance of the Canadiens for the final playoff spot.

3. Unleash the bread man. Andrew Mangiapane was an absolute force in last night’s game. He played with a bunch of different guys but the common denominator was steady ice against Montreal’s depth, and they had no answer for him. I don’t know if it’s the fact Mangiapane is a damn good player, or that he’s relentless and was feasting on a fatigued team, but he caused a world of problems for the Canadiens. Seemingly every shift he was buzzing around the offensive zone and helping generate high-danger looks around the net. The Flames need more of the same in this one.

4. Time to step up. Elias Lindholm played nine minutes with Johnny Gaudreau at 5v5 last night. Chances were even and the Flames were out-scored by a pair in that time. That’s not good enough; especially in a game where the Flames were on the frontfoot from start to finish. Yes, the Flames are getting more from their depth right now. But they’re not going to win consistently unless their best players are their best players. They have to bring more in this one.

5. Push them around. This is as much of a playoff series as you’ll see in the regular season. If the Flames pick up a few wins, they’re right back in this thing. If the Canadiens win more than they lose; stick a fork in the Flames. It’s life or death and the officiating last night reflected that. They weren’t calling much; they’re going to let the guys play. I think the Flames, within reason, should take advantage of that. They have some physical players on the roster and they have the extra juice. I don’t think the Canadiens will have the juice to match the Flames’ intensity or physicality. Finish every check, give the extra shot, and drain everything possible out of the Canadiens’ players.

numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com

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