Preview: Will The Flames Losing Streak Reach Seven!!!!???

Calgary Flames @ Boston Bruins, 7 PM MT, TD Garden, Boston MA

Calgary Flames 5-5-2 (12 pts) – Boston Bruins 11-2-0 (22 pts)

TV: Sportsnet – Radio: Sportsnet 960

Odds: Calgary (-118) Boston (-103) O/U: 6

Sure, the headline asked the question and then the sub-headline answered the question. And why should you be confident in the Flames coming to Boston to try and stop a six game losing streak against the second best team in the NHL? The answer is: you shouldn’t be. The Calgary Flames have done nothing since their 4-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins back on October 25th and what they’ve been doing since then has been a disaster. Bad penalties. Bad turnovers. Bad goaltending. Injuries. Oh what a mess indeed.

And now the Flames have to try and put an end to six game losing streak in Boston, a place that hasn’t been too kind to them over the years. The Flames are 17-35-6 when visiting the Hub, but they have won two in a row over the B’s at the Gahden. So there’s that. But if you dig a little deeper you will find that Calgary is 4-6-0 in their last 10 trips to Boston and this Bruins squad is not going to make it easy on the Flames.

Boston is 11-2-0. Their 22 points is second only to Vegas. They lead the NHL in goals with 53. They’re PK is a suffocating 93.3%, good for the top spot in the league. They’ve given up a miniscule 31 goals (that’s a +23 goal differential already). Linus Ullmark is 9-1-0, had only one game where he’s given up more than three goals AND he’s stopped 288 of the 309 shots he’s seen. So, yeah, should be a walk in the park. OH! And Charlie McAvoy could suit up and add to an already stacked roster. Joy.

If the Flames do lose tonight they will tie the 2014-15 and 2017-18 teams for the third longest losing streak in franchise history (7) with the 1985-86 Flames holding the actual record for consecutive losses at 11. But if you jog your memory you will know that the 85-86 Flames recovered from that dubious record and went on the Stanley Cup Finals. So there’s hope!

Puck drop is at 7 PM MT from TD Garden in Boston.

Starting Goalies

Calgary: Markstrom (E)- 4-3-2, 2.97 GAA, .893 Sv%

Boston: Ullmark (E)- 9-1-0, 2.05 GAA, .935 Sv%

Injury Report

Calgary: Stone (IR/Undisclosed), Tanev (Day to Day/UBI), Huberdeau (Day to Day/Foot), Kylington (IR/Personal)

Boston: Forbort (IR/Finger), McAvoy (IR-LT/Shoulder), Filipe (IR-NR/Undisclosed), Swayman (IR/LBI)

Game Social

@NHLFlames, #Flames, @NHLBruins, #NHLBruins, @matchsticksCGY, @cupofchowdah, #CGYvsBOS

View From The Other Bench

Boston Bruins SBN Coverage: Stanley Cup Of Chowder

Last Time Out

Calgary Flames 2 – NJ Devils 3

Boston Bruins 3 – St. Louis Blues 1

Players To Watch

Calgary Flames

Nazem Kadri (C): 3 goals in last 5 games

Boston Bruins

Jake DeBrusk (F): 4 points in last 5 games

by Mark Parkinson