Tonight the 2021-22 Calgary Flames are kicking off their preseason with a game against the Edmonton Oilers.
Here is their lineup courtesy of nhl.com:
Dillon Dube - Mikael Backlund - Tyler Pitlick
Milan Lucic - Brad Richardson - Trevor Lewis
Jakob Pelletier - Glenn Gawdin - Matthew Phillips
Martin Pospisil - Adam Ruzicka - Brett Ritchie
Nikita Zadorov - Rasmus Andersson
Juuso Valimaki - Erik Gudbranson
Connor Mackey - Andy Welinski
Dan Vladar
Adam Werner
Five things to watch:
1.Trying out a potential shutdown line
Odds are that Pitlick and Backlund will feature on Calgary’s go-to shutdown line. Backlund is a perennial force when it comes to suppressing shots. Pitlick came from Arizona where Tocchett deployed him on a line with Lawson Crouse and Christian Dvorak with the role of shutting down top lines when the game was on the line. The X-factor on this line is Dillon Dube. Finishing first place in camp physicals, Dube is ready to hit the ground running this season. It will be fun to watch
2.Mixing the grit
Want to know something interesting about the Lucic-Richardson-Lewis line? All of these guys have played for Sutter in the past. They also have all played an extensive amount of games in the Pacific Division. If they can stick to the system and successfully clog the Flames blue line then this line will be quite frustrating to play against.
3.Musical chairs on defence
Whether the pairings at the top of the article stick is certainly questionable. Zadorov has been practicing on Tanev’s line for most of training camp so far. Gudbranson and Valimaki together might find chemistry, but they both had underwhelming seasons defensively. Andy Welinski impressed Sutter when they were both working for the Ducks because Treliving signed him to a one-year two-way contract this offseason. Mackey and Welinski will get plenty of minutes in Stockton this year and both will be eager to prove they deserve another look in the NHL.
4.A first look at Daniel Vladar
Brought in for a 2022 third round pick this offseason — Daniel Vladar has put his time in at the AHL level. While his 0.886 save percentage last season looks bad, it’s primarily because he got shelled for eight goals against in his first game. Excluding that night: his save% was 0.916. Vladar and Adam Werner will split the starting duties tonight.
5.The entire bottom six is vying for a spot this year
The 13th forward spot will likely be alternated between Ritchie, Richardson and Lewis. That said, any one of Pelletier, Ruzicka, Phillips, Pospisil, or Gawdin could get a call-up once injuries arise. This will be a chance to impress while the big team’s Coach is watching. It will be fun to see who comes out on top.
Oilers Lines:
Benson – McLeod – Marody
Perlini – Shore – Turris
Sceviour – Ryan – Bourgault
Hamblin – Cracknell – Lavoie
Koekkoek – Bouchard
Broberg – Berglund
Lagesson – Kemp
Skinner
Konovalov
How to catch the game
CalgaryFlames.com will be streaming it at 7pm MDT.
Fan960 will do their regular radio broadcast.
Thanks for reading,
Trevor Neufeld
Follow me on Twitter @Trevor_Neufeld
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