Flames vs. Ducks Game Thread: The Flying V

After losing their home opener to the Sharks last night the Flames are back at it tonight against the Anaheim Ducks in what will be the first of many back-to-backs for Calgary this season.

The big news coming into today’s game is that the Flames have traded Henrik Karlsson to the Chicago Blackhawks for a seventh round pick. Karlsson was demoted to the AHL after Leland Irving won the back-up battle in training camp and it seemed like just a matter of time before he was moved. Karlsson joins a goaltending rotation that includes Corey Crawford and Ray Emery and has not exactly inspired confidence at times, including yesterday’s game against the Phoenix Coyotes.

Back to the Ducks, the Flames actually managed to sneak ten goals past Jonas Hiller last season, although five of them came in one game. After that he allowed just five goals in the next three games. The Flames also managed to limit the Ducks to just seven regulation goals, splitting the work load between Miikka Kiprusoff, Leland Irving, and Henrik Karlsson, despite being heavily outshot 119-97. Bobby Ryan led the Ducks with four goals against Calgary while Jarome Iginla led the Flames with one goal and three points.

The Ducks’ forward depth was impressive last season, but they added to it further when Daniel Winnik, Kyle Palmieri, and Andrew Cogliano joined the team. On defence, Cam Fowler and Luca Sbisa are the young up-and-comers in an otherwise veteran group that includes Francois Beauchemin, Sheldon Souray, and former Flame Toni Lydman. Fowler missed Saturday’s game with the flu but could play tonight.

Projected lines and pairings are as follows:

Glencross-Tanguay-Iginla

Baertschi-Backlund-Cammalleri

Horak-Stajan-Stempniak

Comeau-Begin-Jackman

Giordano-Bouwmeester

Butler-Wideman

Smith-Sarich

Kiprusoff

Palmieri-Getzlaf-Perry

Ryan-Bonino-Selanne

Cogliano-Koivu-Winnik

Belesky-Holland-Rakell

Beauchemin-Lydman

Fowler-Allen

Sbisa-Souray

Hiller

Go Flames Go!

by Hayley Mutch