Here’s Chucky: Flames-Panthers Game Day Preview, Notes, How to Watch

Fresh off a 4-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Calgary Flames will take on Tampa’s interstate rivals tonight in a faceoff against Matthew Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers. Here is your game day preview.  

Calgary Flames (12-14-5, 29 pts) vs Florida Panthers (18-10-2, 38 pts)     

Time: 7:30 p.m. Mountain Standard Time.      

TV: Sportsnet One, Sportsnet West, Bally Sports South, ESPN+ 

Markstrom Returns  

Just 13 days after the announcement that goaltender Jacob Markstrom would miss extended time with a broken finger on his blocker hand, it appears that the 6-foot-6 netminder is ready to return to the lineup. The Flames went 2-3-2 and allowed a 28th-ranked 3.71 goals against per game in his absence. 

Building on Success 

Don’t look now, but Flames newcomer Yegor Sharangovich has six goals in his last five games. Interestingly enough, the 25-year-old only has one assist over that stretch. The Belarusian has one power play goal, one shorthanded goal, and one game-winning goal over that span as well.  

Tough Month

As of the 18th, the Calgary Flames have had a sloppy stat line during the month of December. 3.11 goals per game has them ranked 14th across the league. Defence has been much worse: 3.75 goals against per game. Calgary has allowed fewer than four goals in a game only twice in eight games during the year’s final month.  

Calgary Flames Projected Lineup  

Mangiapane-Lindholm-Sharangovich  

Zary-Kadri-Pospisil  

Huberdeau-Backlund-Coleman  

Greer-Ruzicka-Dube    

Weegar-Andersson  

Hanifin-Tanev  

Gilbert-DeSimone  

Markstrom 

Florida Panthers Projected Lineup 

Courtesy of Jameson Olive. @JamesonCoop 

Rodrigues – Barkov – Reinhart  

Veraheghe – Bennett – Tkachuk  

Luostarinen – Stenlund – Cousins  

Lomberg – Lorentz – Lockwood  

Forsling – Ekblad  

Mikkola – Montour  

OEL – Kulikov  

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