Game Day: All Flames games are big games now

One day at a time, one game at a time.

There haven't yet been comments from players or Darryl Sutter just yet this morning about tonight's home date (8 p.m.) against the Dallas Stars (the pre-game skate is at 10:30 a.m.), but I would wager that's what the Calgary Flames are trying to tell themselves as they get ready for it.

Because every game is a big game for the Flames now. Has been for a few of them now. They're chasing a playoff spot, natch. And they have five of a possible six points in their last three games, including Thursday's victory over Vegas.

The Stars are coming off two losses in a row — to the Vancouver Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers — as they wrap up a three-game trek through Western Canada in Calgary. Dallas is comfortably in a playoff position, sitting first in the Central Division, but just a point ahead of division rivals the Minnesota Wild and three ahead of the Colorado Avalanche.

The Winnipeg Jets are the Flames' actual target. Like their Central brethren the Stars, they have lost their last two games and sit three points ahead of the Flames heading into NHL action tonight for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Today, the Jets face division rival the Nashville Predators, who are one point behind Calgary and four behind Winnipeg for that wildcard position. Nashville has three games in hand on both teams.

Projected Flames lines

Forwards Milan Lucic and Jakob Pelletier will sit out tonight's game.

Forward

• Andrew Mangiapane – Elias Lindholm – Tyler Toffoli
• Jonathan Huberdeau – Mikael Backlund – Blake Coleman
• Dillon Dube – Nazem Kadri – Walker Duehr
• Nick Ritchie – Adam Ruzicka – Trevor Lewis

Defence

• Mackenzie Weegar -Rasmus Andersson
• Noah Hanifin – Chris Tanev
• Nikita Zadorov – Troy Stecher

Goal

• Jacob Markstrom
• Dan Vladar