No Rest For The Calgary Flames

Calgary Flames vs Ottawa Senators, 7:30 PM MT, Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary AB

TV: ESPN+, SNW – Radio: Sportsnet 960

Calgary Flames (11-12-2, 24 pts) – Ottawa Senators (8-17-1, 17 pts)

NHL Standings

Oh, look. It’s the Ottawa Senators again. Sigh. Calgary will face Ottawa for the fifth time this season on Sunday night, coinciding with the start of five straight at home for the road weary Flames.

Calgary is going to have to lick their wounds quickly and put Saturday night’s disappointing loss behind them as they are hopping right back on the ice to take on a Senators team that has had their number at times this season. Calgary is very Jekyll & Hyde when playing Ottawa. The last four games the teams have played have looked like this: 6-1, 6-3, 5-1, 7-3. The teams have split the four games and there’s no real rhyme or reason as to why the games have gone this way. One explanation could be just inconsistent hockey. Another could be that these two teams just aren’t that good and they take turns being the worse team. OR it could just be the Flames play down to their opponent and then get right back up the next night to show they are better. Oh right, that’s inconsistent hockey. I guess we’ll go with that.

To their credit the Flames came out and literally punched the Oilers in the face Saturday night. The Flames owned the first period, had a goal, two fights and were knocking the Oilers all over the rink. But Edmonton has Connor McDavid and he laid in the tall grass and waited for his time. And he found it. McDavid would collect three points over the final two periods, including the game winning goal to sink the Flames. So the lesson learned Calgary Flames is to PLAY AN ENTIRE 60 MINUTES. I’m sure there was some definite giddy up as that game started to impress Darryl Sutter from afar, but I’m sure by the end he’d seen enough to know that no matter who is on the bench, the Flames just don’t give a full effort.

Who will show tonight? That’s anyone’s best guess. You’d think that if the Flames come out like the did Saturday night that they could put this team away very early, but as Ottawa has shown, just because the record is bad it doesn’t mean the effort and drive isn’t there.

Starting Goalies (E=Expected, C=Confirmed)

Flames: Rittich (E): 3-5-1, 2.93 GAA, .904 SV%

Senators: Murray (E): 6-11-1, 3.72 GAA, .883 SV%

Team Leaders

Flames: Goals- Gaudreau (10), Points- Gaudreau (22), PIM- Tkachuk (28), Save%- Markstrom (.909)

Senators: Goals- Batherson (9), Points- Batherson (18), PIM: Tkachuk (34). Save%- Murray (.883)

What’s Happening With The Opposition?

Ottawa Senators Coverage: Silver Seven Sens

Last Time Out

Calgary Flames 2 – Edmonton Oilers 3

Ottawa Senators 3 – Calgary Flames 7

Players To Watch

Calgary Flames

Elias Lindholm (C): 4 points in last 3 games

Ottawa Senators

Drake Batherson (F): 6 points in last 5 games

by Mark Parkinson