Game Preview: Flames vs Anaheim Ducks

CALGARY FLAMES (29-24-11 69 points) vs. ANAHEIM DUCKS (27-27-10 64 points) GAME 65

PREVIEW:

Life for the Calgary Flames doesn’t get any easier tonight as they head into Anaheim to face the Ducks, to conclude their mini two-game road trip. The Flames return to Anaheim for the second time this season, a place where they haven’t won since 2004, going 0-9-5 during that stretch. This is the third of four meetings between the two clubs, as they have split the first two games, each winning on home ice. Both teams are scratching and clawing, trying to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Flames, after their victory in Phoenix last night, got within two points of the 8^th place Dallas Stars, while the Ducks currently sit 7 points back.

The Flames ended one drought last night, snapping their 5-game losing streak in the Desert, beating the Coyotes 4-2, which also snapped the Coyotes 7-game winning streak. The Flames jumped out to a 3-0 first period late and unlike their homestand were able to hang onto it even with a 2^nd period push from the Yotes. The Flames best players were their best players last night, as Jarome Iginla (1g, 1a) and Alex Tanguay (2a) each had multi-point nights, while Olli Jokinen and Mike Cammalleri each potted first period goals. I was only able to catch the third period of last night’s game but I thought they played with a lot more compete and desperation, two things that had been lacking and they need to have if they want to crack the top 8.

The Ducks have had a long hill to climb after a dismal first half of the season. They have gone 6-3-1 in their last ten but being 7 points out they really can’t afford to lose any more games. After a successful road trip (5-1-2), they Ducks found themselves within 4 points of 8^th place at the start of the week but losses to Colorado on Monday and Buffalo on Wednesday has them right back in 13^th spot in the West. The Ducks live and die with their top line, much like the Flames and need them firing every night if they hope to make the playoffs. After scoring 8 goals in 9 games, Corey Perry hasn’t scored in his last three games, which coincidently the Ducks have only won 1 of those games.

The Flames need to play the same way they did in Phoenix last night, minus the second period, which hasn’t been kind to the Flames all season. The task seems to be tougher coming into Anaheim on back-to-back and the fact they haven’t won at the Honda Centre since ’04. Maybe some a fresh face will break the Anaheim hex as Leland Irving was recalled before the road trip and will get the start tonight, giving Miikka Kiprusoff some much needed rest. Irving is 1-1-3 in 5 starts this season with a 3.26 GAA and a .915 save percentage. I have thought Irving has looked really good in the majority of his starts and the Flames organization obviously has more confidence in him then they do in Henrik Karlsson. I have never been a fan of Karlsson but I don’t think I’m alone and I wouldn’t lose any sleep if they were to put him on waivers and risk losing him for nothing. If the Flames top players, Iginla, Jokinen, Tanguay and Cammalleri are once again the Flames best players and the Flames play a solid defensive game in front of Irving, I think there is a good chance their Anaheim hex ends tonight. It’s all about consistency with this team as they can’t afford to lose many more games, let alone lose to a team lower in the standings. I still think the Flames are too up and down to make the playoffs this season but like I have said so many times before, I hope they prove me wrong.

PROJECTED LINES:

Flames:                                                                        Ducks:

1-TANGUAY-CAMMALLERI-IGINLA                            1-RYAN-GETZLAF-PERRY

2-GLENCROSS-JOKINEN-MOSS                               2-HAGMAN-KOIVU-SELANNE

3-KOSTOPOULOS-STAJAN-COMEAU                       3-BLAKES-BONINO-COGLIANO

4-BOUMA-HORAK-JACKMAN                                     4-BELESKEY-PELLEY-SMITH-PELLEY

1-BOUWMEESTER-SMITH                                         1-BEAUCHEMIN-FOWLER

2-GIORDANO-HANNAN                                              2-VISNOVSKY-SBISA

3-BRODIE-SARICH                                                     3-LYDMAN-BROOKBANK

1-IRVING                                                                      1-HILLER

2-KIPRUSOFF                                                              2-DESLAURIERS

EXTRA- BABCHUK, KARLSSON                                 EXTRA- GUENIN, PARROS

INJURIES:

Flames: D- Chris Butler (Lower Body- IR), C- Mikael Backlund (Upper Body- IR), C- Blair Jones (Ankle- IR), RW- Lee Stempniak (Ankle- IR)

Ducks: G- Dan Ellis (Groin- IR)

STATS:

Flames

Ducks

PP-

Flames: 17.4% (15^th)

Ducks: 17.0% (17^th)

PK-

Flames: 82.9% (11^th)

Ducks: 83.1% (9^th)

WESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS:

DID YOU KNOW?

• Last ten games: Flames 4-2-4, Ducks 6-3-1
• The Flames and Ducks series has been very close in recent seasons. Of the last 11 games, seven have gone to extra time, while eleven of the last 14 have been decided by one goal.
• The Flames last win in Anaheim came on January 19, 2004. Both Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff missed the game, as Roman Turek back-stopped the Flames to a 5-1 victory.
• Jay Bouwmeester, who is currently the NHL’s iron man at 570 games, will play his 700^th career game tonight.
• The Flames are 14-4-11 in one goal games this season.
• The Ducks have gone 17-5-4 in their last 26 game as they have turned their game around in the second half in their push for a playoff spot.
• Since Jan. 6, the Ducks have surged from 20 points out of the playoffs to currently sitting only 7 points back of the 8^th place Dallas Stars.
• Ageless Teemu Selanne continues to do it again this season, leading the Ducks with 55 points and enters tonight’s game 3 points shy of fellow Fin Jari Kurri for 19^th place in all-time NHL scoring.
• With Selanne’s 21 goals so far this season, Selanne became the second oldest player in NHL history to score 21+ goals.
• Jonas Hiller start tonight will break a franchise record for consecutive starts with 24. Guy Hebert held the previous record with 23 (Feb. 5, 1997 to Mar. 26, 1997).
• Both teams have top prospects in the WHL this season. Anaheim’s 2009 first-round pick Emerson Etem leads the league with 53 goals after scoring 50 in 50 games. The Flames 2011 top pick, Sven Bartschi is 9^th in league scoring but is averaging just less than two points a game (87 points in 44 games).

GAME DAY QUOTE:

"It's against two opponents that we're chasing… you win both and its four points. You never know where that can put you at the end of the day. They are probably the two biggest games of the year right now."

 – The Ducks Corey Perry on their next two games against CGY and LA

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