Connect with us

Flames Daily

Flames Daily: Getting in the Preds’ heads, Vegas luck almost out, Canucks dead

Published

on

It was a heck of a night for the Calgary Flames. Beating the Predators in a wild 5-4 overtime battle after tying it up with 0.1 seconds on the clock in Nashville was something. But it was all the little rivalry style sidebars that made the game so good. Fights, heavy hits, a lot of chirping. Meanwhile, the Vegas Golden Knights are thisclose to being eliminated and the Vancouver Canucks were finally taken off life support after the Calgary Flames put them on the brink of elimination last Saturday.

One of the most entertaining elements of the Flames/Preds potential first-round preview on Tuesday was the real hatred that seemed to develop through trash talking. Matthew Tkachuk is one of the most notable names in the NHL for his ability to get under the skin with words as well as actions. But Johnny Gaudreau is definitely not known for his chirping and aggressiveness — so seeing him drive Dante Fabbro batty behind the net after a whistle was Must-See TV.

Tkachuk is still king, though.

He offered a signed stick to Mathieu Olivier.

Wonder if it’s the same one he used to score the tying goal with a fraction of a second to play in regulation?

Either way, a missed opportunity for Olivier.

NHL News & National Hockey Now

Vegas: Staying Alive. It wasn’t a regulation win that would have put control in their hands. Dallas needs just one more point in the remaining two games, but the Vegas Golden Knights lived to fight another day in the Pacific Division owned by the Calgary Flames.

NHL.com: Auston Matthews became the first American-born player to hit 60 goals in a season. 60?! That’s an amazing season.

Colorado: The Western Conference favorite has a few essential players on the injury list, but getting Gabriel Landeskog back for Game 1 looks pretty good. Colorado Avalanche injury update.

Vancouver: With the Dallas win, the Canucks chances are done, but they beat Seattle 5-2. Vancouver Canucks were on life support anyway after the loss to the Calgary Flames on the weekend.

Pittsburgh: The postgame comments said more than the words, and their words said a lot. They’re lost. Pittsburgh Penguins video postgame.

Washington: Takeaways–The Capitals had a chance to claim third place. They faceplanted, too. WIthout Alex Ovechkin, the Islanders squashed the Washington Capitals 4-1.

NYI: Check out this ridiculous shortie by Casey Czikas against Washington. New York Islanders highlight.

And finally…from Sportsnet: How Wayne Gretzky was almost traded to the Detroit Red Wings instead of the LA Kings. I didn’t know this story. Wow.