For the second time in six days, the Calgary Flames will take on the LA Kings, as the two teams tangle tonight at the Staple Center in Los Angeles.  Saturday night saw the Kings take a 4-1 win over the Flames, snapping Calgary’s three game win streak; Tuesday saw Calgary fall 2-1 in a shootout at the hands of the San Jose Sharks.

Calgary Flames 21-20-6, 12th Western Conference

Mike Cammalleri-Mikael Backlund-Jarome Iginla
Blake Comeau-Olli Jokinen-Tim Jackman
Tom Kostopoulos-Blair Jones-Lee Stempniak
Lance Bouma-Matt Stajan

Jay Bouwmeester-Chris Butler
Mark Giordano-Scott Hannan
T.J. Brodie-Cory Sarich
Anton Babchuk

Miikka Kiprusoff

Seven defensemen and 11 forwards once again for the Flames as Stajan returns to the lineup tonight after missing 14 games with a lower body injury.  Paul Byron and Roman Horak will be the healthy scratches.

The Flames also placed blueliner Brett Carson on waivers this morning.

Los Angeles Kings 23-15-9, 7th Western Conference

Dustin Brown-Anze Kopitar-Justin Williams
Dustin Penner-Mike Richards-Jarret Stoll
Brad Richardson-Andrei Loktionov-Trevor Lewis
Kyle Clifford-Colin Fraser-Trent Hunter

Rob Scuderi-Drew Doughty
Willie Mitchell-Slava Voynov
Jack Johnson-Matt Greene

Jonathan Quick

Under Darryl Sutter as their Head Coach, the Kings are now 8-1-5.

Continuing a really tough stretch, the Calgary Flames did most of what they could for success against a pretty good opponent, but in the end, the Flames kicked off a three game road trip falling 2-1 in a shootout at the hands of the San Jose Sharks.  Miikka Kiprusoff was outstanding along the way, as Calgary wasn’t able to hold a one goal lead heading into the final frame.

What Happened

The opening 40 minutes didn’t see much offensively at all from the Flames, and the first period started that trend.  Calgary managed six shots on Antti Niemi, but nothing overly dangerous; they also played with a little fire, as San Jose hit a pair of posts in the first period, which ended scoreless.

The second was much the same, with the Sharks meeting the iron again on another quality scoring opportunity and allowing the Flames very little offensively.  But credit Calgary, as they opened the scoring with an opportunistic shot from Chris Butler, scoring his second from the left point at 12:07.  It was an odd bounce that helped the Flames, as Jarome Iginls’a initial pass was intended for Mike Cammalleri but instead came to Butler.  Down in the scoring chance count, the Flames had the lead after two periods.

Ironically, the best period for the Flames was actually their best, but it also saw them allow their only regulation goal.  Torrey Mitchell’s fifth came off a scramble in the slot at 10:44, sending this game to overtime, with a couple outstanding stops from Kiprusoff along the way.

Overtime saw the Sharks win it…oh wait.  Justin Braun’s overtime winner was waved off as it was deemed Tommy Wingels interfered with Kiprusoff in front, so it was off to a shootout.  Both Jarome Iginla and Mike Cammalleri were unsuccessful in their attemps while Michal Handzus and Brent Burns were good on their tries, handing Calgary their second consecutive loss.

One Good Reason…

…why the Flames lost?  Regardless of how the first 40 mintues went, the reason they lost this game was a coin flip shootout.  Calgary had a lead after two periods, even if they were maybe a little fortunate to be there thanks to three posts and some solid Kipper stops.  An overtime winner didn’t count either, so it was off to a 50/50 situation in the shootout, with San Jose coming away with the win.

Red Warrior

As fun as Iginla was to watch in the thrid period, I’ve gotta give it to Kiprusoff.  He kept Calgary in this one through the first two periods, as the Sharks had a 13-4 edge in scoring chances after two periods.  It was one of his better games of the season, and he’s very deserving of the nod tonight.

Sum It Up

Hey, Calgary was outdone for the most part through the first two periods but was able to come away with a lead.  It would have been nice to see them get the full two, but knowing how slanted things were for much of the opening 40, seeing them come away with a point against a red hot Sharks team isn’t the worst fate in the world.  Their third period was pretty strong as was their overtime, so there are things to build on positively heading into LA on Thursday night.

The Calgary Flames start off what will likely be the most important, and most difficult, segment of their schedule tonight on the road in San Jose.  Before we get to mid-February, the Flames will have played the Sharks three times along with games against the Kings, Canucks, Red Wings, and Canucks.  That’s in a ten game stretch.  It all starts tonight.

Calgary Flames 21-20-5, 12th Western Conference

Mike Cammalleri-Mikael Backlund-Jarome Iginla
Curtis Glencross-Olli Jokinen-Blake Comeau
Lane Bouma-Blair Jones-Lee Stempniak
Tom Kostopoulos-Roman Horak-Tim Jackman

Jay Bouwmeester-Chris Butler
Mark Giordano-Scott Hannan
T.J. Brodie-Cory Sarich

Miikka Kiprusoff

The Flames will likely get Hannan back in the lineup tonight after missing four games with an upper body injury suffered in Boston.  If he doesn’t come back tonight, it’ll be Anton Babchuk on that second pairing with Giordano.  Calgary put Cammalleri with Iginla and Backlund midway through Saturday’s loss against LA and that’ll continue tonight; it’s a large opportunity for Blake Comeau playing with Glencross and Jokinen.

San Jose Sharks 25-12-5, 3rd Western Conference

Patrick Marleau-Joe Thornton-Joe Pavelski
Ryane Clowe-Logan Couture-Benn Ferriero
Jamie McGinn-Michal Handzus-Torrey Mitchell
Brad Winchester-Andrew Murray-Tommy Wingels

Dan Boyle-Marc-Edouard Vlasic
Jason Demers-Brent Burns
Douglas Murray-Justin Braun

Antti Niemi

Clowe is questionable for tonight’s game according to our Roger Millions; if he doesn’t go, Frazer McLaren will enter the lineup in his place.  Pavelski would move down to the second line while McGinn would move up to the first, so we’ll see.

Well, in his first game against his former team behind the Kings bench, it was Darryl Sutter coming out victorious against the Calgary Flames, taking a fairly impressive 4-1 win on Saturday night.  It was one of those games that was really close to begin, and fairly evenly played throughout, but after LA took their 1-0 lead, they slowly controlled more and more of the game.  It snaps Calgary’s eight game winning streak on Saddledome ice.

What Happened

I thought both teams came to play in the first period, with scoring chances generated on both sides.  It was even, both goaltenders came to play, and it looked exactly like the type of game we’d be seeing.  Los Angeles plays things very close to the vest, and they didn’t give up a ton, and when they did, Jonathan Quick was equal to the task.  Both team’s had a powerplay, but things were scoreless after one.

It took just 27 seconds of second period play for the Kings to open the scoring on an unfortunate bounce.  The puck skipped over. Mark Giordano’s stick at the defensive blueline, allowing Mike Richards a breakaway opportunity.  He’d slip it under Miikka Kiprusoff for his 14th of the season.  At 3:02, Matt Greene’s third of the season came from the right point on an innocuous looking shot.  With traffic in front, the puck got by Kiprusoff for a two goal lead.  A powerplay for the Kings allowed them the opportunity to stretch the lead to three.  Anze Kopitar would score his 14th from the left side of the net to put this one a little further out of reach.  But, a powerplay for the Flames gave Mike Cammalleri a nice moment in his first game back with the team.  Anton Babchuk’s point shot was tipped very nicely by #93 for his first with Calgary and tenth of the season.

The third period was fairly low event overall, with just five scoring chances combined between the teams.  That played right into the hands of the Kings, as they’re as good a team as you’ll find in shutting things down.  Dustin Brown’s empty netter at 19:03 sealed another win for LA; they now have points in 11 of the 12 games coached by Darryl.

One Good Reason…

…why the Flames lost?  The opening minutes of the second period did them in for the most part, as the Richards goal kinda sent th team into a temporary tailspin.  The Kings scored one more in that span, added another one later on the powerplay and then shut things down in a very impressive manner.  Calgary wasn’t overly bad at all tonight, they were pretty competitive but ended up losing the game against a pretty decent opponent.  The Flames also got worked pretty well by LA’s top players, as Iginla, Cammalleri et al had trouble keeping up to the Kopitar, Williams, and Brown line.

Red Warrior

I liked Blair Jones, centering Calgary’s third line with Blake Comeau and Lance Bouma.  He saw time both shorthanded and on the powerplay, but he was pretty effective even strength, which is why he gets the nod.  Jones spent a lot of time in the offensive end and the puck was constantly on his stick when the Flames were moving north.

Sum It Up

Hey, you win some, you lose some.  The Flames played a fairly effective game overall, but the Kings are a pretty good squad, and they played better.  Brent Sutter said it best following the game: in a playoff game, if you play well for 55 but get away from it for five, you’re going to lose.  That’s kinda what happened on this night.  Now, the Flames head off on the road for a tough pair of games in California followed by a matchup with the Oilers in one week.

The storylines are plentiful tonight as the Flames play their first game of the season against the Los Angeles Kings.  We’ve got the re-debut of Mike Cammalleri in the Calgary lineup to go along with Darryl Sutter’s return to Calgary as Head Coach of the Kings.  On top of that, the Flames need this one with the teams seperated by just three points heading in.

Calgary Flames 21-19-5, 11th Western Conference

Curtis Glencross-Olli Jokinen-Jarome Iginla
Mike Cammalleri-Mikael Backlund-Lee Stempniak
Blake Comeau-Blair Jones-Lance Bouma
Tom Kostopoulos-Roman Horak-Tim Jackman

Jay Bouwmeester-Chris Butler
Mark Giordano-Anton Babchuk
T.J. Brodie-Cory Sarich

Miikka Kiprusoff

As expected, Cammalleri slots in on the second line for the Flames.  I like it, as I think he’s a guy who will fit well on Backlund’s flank.  There’s also no reason to split up the top trio, as they’ve been pretty good as of late.  There’s a lot of options if things start to go south.

Los Angeles Kings 21-15-8, 7th Western Conference

Dustin Brown-Anze Kopitar-Justin Williams
Dustin Penner-Mike Richards-Jarret Stoll
Brad Richardson-Andrei Loktionov-Trevor Lewis
Kyle Clifford-Colin Fraser-Trent Hunter

Rob Scuderi-Drew Doughty
Jack Johnson-Matt Greene
Willia Mitchell-Slava Voynov

Jonathan Quick

The Kings are 6-1-4 since Darryl Sutter took over as Head Coach in late December.  They’ve climbed back into a playoff spot, and they’ve scored eight goals in their last two games.  That’s notable mostly because the Kings have scored just 97 goals this year, the worst total in the NHL.

For the first time this season, the Flames take on an opponent from the Pacific Division when they welcome the Anaheim Ducks to the Saddledome.  It’s the first of four straight games against the competitive division in crucial games for the Flames as they try to stay in the mix in the Western Conference.

Calgary Flames 20-19-5

Curtis Glencross-Olli Jokinen-Jarome Iginla
Lance Bouma-Mikael Backlund-Lee Stempniak
Blake Comeau-Blair Jones-Paul Byron
Tom Kostopoulos-Roman Horak-Tim Jackman

Jay Bouwmeester-Chris Butler
Mark Giordano-Cory Sarich
T.J. Brodie-Anton Babchuk

Miikka Kiprusoff

It’s not 100% certain, but it’s very certain that Mark Giordano will return to the lineup tonight after missing 21 games with a hamstring injury.  Jarome Iginla was named Calgary’s only All Star Game representative today.

Anaheim Ducks 13-22-6, 14th Western Conference

Bobby Ryan-Ryan Getzlaf-Corey Perry
Niklas Hagman-Saku Koivu-Teemu Selanne
Jason Blake-Nick Bonino-Andrew Cogliano
Matt Beleskey-Rod Pelley-Kyle Palmieri

Francois Beauchemin-Cam Fowler
Luca Sbisa-Lubomir Visnovsky
Toni Lydman-Sheldon Brookbank

Jeff Deslauriers

The Ducks have won three straight for only the second time this season; they’re trying to salavage some sort of a competitive season after a nightmare first three months.  Jonas Hiller has struggled and he’s on the shelf and will miss his second game after making 35 appearance prior.

There have been a number of games this season where the Calgary Flames have played some pretty decent hockey only to catch a few bad breaks and come out on the losing end of things.  On Tuesday night, the Flames managed just 14 shots on goal against the New Jersey Devils, yet came out on the winning end of things by a 6-3 score.  Some shoddy goaltending and good fortune helped them along to their seventh straight win on home ice.

What Happened

The first period didn’t give us the best lasting impression of Devils goalie Martin Brodeur, who was likely making his final start at the Saddledome.  Just 5:54 into the first period with a Calgary powerplay recently expired, the Flames opened the scoring on Jay Bouwmeester’s second of the season.  It was a weak one on Brodeur’s part, having the puck go right through him from the right point.  Less than two minutes later, Cory Sarich tallied his first on the year beating Brodeur on another one that probably should have been stopped, firing a shot high of the right circle for a 2-0 lead.  With Johan Hedberg entering the game in relief, the Flames made it 3-0 at 13:12 with Curtis Glencross finishing off a nice sequence for his 18th of the season.  At 16:38, T.J. Brodie would finish the first period onslaught with his second on the year; a powerplay goal gave Calgary a 4-0 lead.  Not bad for eight shots and two scoring chances!

There wasn’t much happening for much of the second period, until the 14:48 mark when Ilya Kovalchuk opened the scoring for New Jersey with his 16th on a nice pass from Adam Henrique to start a very odd final 25 minutes or so.  Lee Stempniak’s first goal in 16 games restored Calgary’s four goal lead at 16:38 before the Devils responded less than a minute later with a Henrique shorthanded marker.

A pretty powerplay goal from Patrik Elias at 6:04 of the third period got the Devils the within a pair of goals, the first time they’d been that close since the first period.  But a weird breakdown in the New Jersey end gave the Flames the last opportunity they’d need, as Jarome Iginla would complete the Gordie Howe Hattrick with his 17th of the season getting us to our 6-3 score.  Of note, Henrique also finished with the GHH, as he dropped the gloves with Iggy in the first period.

Of note in this game, the Flames scored six goals on 14 shots.  According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that’s the largest goal total scored on 14 or less shots since 1967, when the NHL started tracking shots reliably.

One Good Reason…

…why the Flames won?  Um, some good fortune.  I won’t say Calgary was lucky to win this one, because it wasn’t like New Jersey was shooting the lights out in the first half of the contest.  But when you score at least three, maybe four goals, that goaltenders would like to have back, you can make a pretty good case for Lady Luck smiling on you.  That’s fine though, because these things even themselves out over the course of an 82 game season, and needing points, the Flames will take the points.

Red Warrior

T.J. Brodie, hands down.  The guy gets more impressive every time you see him play, and tonight was no different.  He finished in the black in scoring chances at even strength, scored a goal, and counted at +3 in 22:43 of ice time.  The guy is an NHLer and has put the Abbotsford Heat behind him, and it’s awesome to say.

Sum It Up

The Flames weren’t overly happy with their performance following the game, and nor should they be.  The blueprint executed isn’t one that you’d put in the “sustainable” category, but on this night, it got them two points.  I felt Calgary was noticeably better Saturday against the Minnesota Wild, and with the lineup as it is right now, that’s the type of performance the team needs.  That said, take the money and run with this one!

It’s the only meeting this season between the Flames and Devils as Calgary looks to keep their impressive roll at home going.  With points in nine straight games(and wins in eight of nine) at the Scotiabank Saddledome, this is an important homestand to continue for the Flames.

Calgary Flames 19-19-5, 12th Western Conference

Curtis Glencross-Olli Jokinen-Jarome Iginla
Lance Bouma-Mikael Backlund-Lee Stempniak
Blake Comeau-Blair Jones-Paul Byron
Tom Kostopoulos-Roman Horak-Tim Jackman

Jay Bouwmeester-Chris Butler
T.J. Brodie-Cory Sarich
Clay Wilson-Anton Babchuk

Miikka Kiprusoff

No lineup changes for the Flames tonight, even with Mark Giordano very close to returning.  Brent Sutter said yesterday he’d like to see Giordano get into a couple practices before getting him back in game action.  Brendan Morrison skated with the main group today and doesn’t seem too far off from returning either.

New Jersey Devils 23-16-2, 6th Eastern Conference

Zach Parise-Adam Henrique-Ilya Kovalchuk
Petr Sykora-Patrik Elias-Dainius Zubrus
Mattias Tedenby-Steve Zalewski-David Clarkson
Eric Boulton-Ryan Carter-Nick Palmieri

Bryce Salvador-Adam Larsson
Mark Fayne-Henrik Tallinder
Kurtis Foster-Matt Taormina

Martin Brodeur

Could be the last time Flames fans have a chance to see a future Hall of Famer in action in Brodeur.  He’s a shadow of his former self, but he’s still the best of our era.  Both Anton Volchenkov and Travis Zajac could return to the lineup tonight as they are nursing minor injuries.

The Flames finish their marathon road trip tonight against the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins.  It’ll be Calgary’s seventh consecutive game away from the Saddledome, a span that has seen them go 2-3-1 to this point.  This might be a Boston team better than the one that won it all in June, so the task is anything but easy this evening.

Calgary Flames 18-18-5, 12th Western Conference

Curtis Glencross-Olli Jokinen-Jarome Iginla
Blake Comeau-Mikael Backlund-Lee Stempniak
Paul Byron-Roman Horak-Tim Jackman
Raitis Ivanans-Brendan Morrison-Tom Kostopoulos

Jay Bouwmeester-Chris Butler
Anton Babchuk-Scott Hannan
T.J. Brodie-Cory Sarich

Leland Irving

Irving gets the start in net for good reason; the team has a monster flight back to Calgary following this one and then plays on Saturday night against the Wild.  No Rene Bourque tonight, as he serves the first of a five game suspension for his elbow delivered to Nicklas Backstrom of the Capitals on Tuesday night.  Here are some statements on the matter from the team:

“We fully understand the decision rendered by Brendan Shanahan and the Department of Player Safety in this matter.  Both the club and the player understand and appreciate the basis for the ruling, and intend to abide by the decision.  We will have no further comment.” – Flames GM Jay Feaster.

“I acknowledge my mistake, regret my action and take full responsibility. I accept the decision rendered by Brendan Shanahan on behalf of the League. I apologize to my teammates, the Flames organization and to Niklas Backstrom. I am embarrassed for what I did. These are exactly the type of plays that need to be eliminated from hockey.” – Flames forward Rene Bourque.

It’ll be the first game this season for Ivanans who was recalled yesterday.  It’s just his second game with the Flames period.

Boston Bruins 25-10-1, 2nd Eastern Conference

Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Tyler Seguin
Benoit Pouliot-Chris Kelly-Rich Peverley
Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton

Zdeno Chara-Johnny Boychuk
Dennis Seidenberg-Joe Corvo
Andrew Ference-Adam McQuaid

Tuuka Rask

Rask gets the start, giving number one Tim Thomas another rest; both goaltender have been outstanding this season, so it’s not like the Flames get an easy mark here.  Boston has won 22 of their last 25 games coming off a 6-1 shelling of the New Jersey Devils last night.  Roll the dice in this one, these guys are scary good.

The Flames continue their season-long six game road trip tonight when they take on the suddenly hot Washington Capitals.  The Caps have won three in a row and get Mike Green back in their lineup tonight while Calgary has juggled their lines significantly for this one thanks to a three game losing skid.

Calgary Flames 18-7-5, 12th Western Conference

Curtis Glencross-Olli Jokinen-Jarome Iginla
Rene Bourque-Blake Comeau-Lee Stempniak
Paul Byron-Mikael Backlund-Tim Jackman
Brendan Morrison-Roman Horak-Tom Kostopoulos

Jay Bouwmeester-Chris Butler
Anton Babchuk-Scott Hannan
T.J. Brodie-Cory Sarich

Miikka Kiprusoff

So some fairly large line shuffles, with Comeau moving to centre and Morrison going to the wing.  Morrison has had some struggles over the last little while and maybe a move to the wing might help in that regard.  Our Nick Kypreos reports the Flames have placed Raitis Ivanans on re-entry waivers which means he’ll be available for recall upon clearing tomorrow at 10 am.

Washington Capitals 20-15-2, 9th Eastern Conference

Alexander Ovechkin-Brooks Laich-Troy Brouwer
Marcus Johansson-Nicklas Backstrom-Mike Knuble
Jason Chimera-Jeff Halpern-Joel Ward
Matt Hendriks-Matthieu Perrault-Jay Beagle

Jeff Schultz-Roman Hamrlik
John Carlson-Karl Alzner
Dennis Wideman-Dmitri Orlov
Mike Green

Tomas Vokoun

Green is the notable name back in the lineup, having only played eight games so far this season.  The Caps will go with seven defenseman, so one of those forwards will sit.  You can bet it’ll either be Perreault or Beagle coming out.  Washington has won three in a row.