Game Preview: Flames vs San Jose Sharks

CALGARY FLAMES (24-22-7 55 points) vs. SAN JOSE SHARKS (29-15-6 64 points) GAME #54

PREVIEW:

The Flames have had a tough time with the Sharks this season which isn’t saying they haven’t played well or been dominated. Tonight will be the third of four games between the clubs as the Sharks have taken the first two meetings, both by 1 goal (Jan 17 @SJ 2-1 OT, Jan 24 @CGY 1-0). The tough time, just like the past month and a half, for the Flames against the Sharks has been scoring goals. Miikka Kiprusoff has kept the Flames in probably every game he has started this season and if the Flames don’t start helping him out offensively, the Flames will have a tough time jumping above the four teams ahead of them and into 8^th spot.

The Flames kicked off their current three game road trip Monday night in Anaheim against the Ducks with a 3-2 SO loss. As important as the one point was the Flames desperately needed the second one. The Ducks have been one of the hottest teams since the New Year and have way too much talent to be sitting 13^th in the west. With that said, the Flames had to get the W the other night in Anaheim as wasting points to teams bellow them will come back to bite them down the road. The Flames with the loss have now lost 14 straight at the Honda Center, as their last win came in January 2004.

The Sharks are one of the elite teams in the West and at the end of the season, should be Pacific Division champions. The Sharks are coming off a 5-3 loss to the Coyotes and will be looking to rebound tonight against the Flames. Antti Niemi will get the start for the Sharks tonight but he has been Jekyll and Hyde in his last nine starts. In four of Niemi’s wins, he has recorded 3 shutouts and a 0.24 GAA while in his five losses; Niemi has allowed 4 goals in each start. The Sharks will live and die with Niemi throughout the rest of the season and more importantly in the playoffs.

The Flames have head into San Jose tonight and play the way they did in their January 17^th 2-1 shootout loss. I thought that was one of the best games they have played since the New Year.  The Flames have scored two or fewer goals in 9 of their past 13 games. This has been the story line around the Flames for the past month and it doesn’t seem to be improving. I think the Flames really need to start taking more chances; getting their defensemen more involved and change to a more aggressive fore-check. It’s a risky proposition as the Flames aren’t an elite team but when you’re in 12^th place and really haven’t made much progress getting closer to that final playoff spot; do they really have anything to lose? They have the 8^th fewest points in the league as it is, so worst case scenario is that they land a higher draft pick. The time is now for the Flames with 28 games remaining as crucial decisions have to be made before the February 27^th deadline. I think I talk for many Flames fans in saying mediocrity is no longer acceptable in this city.

PROJECTED LINES:

Flames:                                                                        Sharks:

1-TANGUAY-JOKINEN-IGINLA                         `           1-DESJARDINS-THORNTON-PAVELSKI

2-CAMMALLERI-JONES-COMEAU                              2-MARLEAU-COUTURE-CLOWE

3-BOUMA-BACKLUND-KOLANOS                               3-McGINN-HANDZUS-MITCHELL

4-KOSTOPOULOS-STAJAN-JACKMAN                       4-WINCHESTOR-McCARTHY-FERRIERO

1-BOUWMEESTER-BUTLER                                       1-BOYLE-VLASIC

2-GIORDANO-HANNAN                                               2-MURRAY-BURNS

3-BRODIE-SARICH                                                      3-WHITE-BRAUN

1-KIPRUSOFF                                                              1-NIEMI

2-IRVING                                                                       2-GREISS

EXTRA- BABCHUK                                                       EXTRA- VANDERMEER

INJURIES:

Flames: RW- Lee Stempniak (Ankle) LW- Curtis Glencross (Knee- IR), C- David Moss (Lower Body-IR), D- Derek Smith (Ankle-IR)

Sharks: D- Jason Demers (Charley Horse- IR), RW- Martin Havlat (Lower Body- IR), LW- Tommy Wingels (Upper Body- IR), LW- James Shepard (Knee- IR)

STATS:

Flames

Sharks

PP-

Flames: 18.0% (12^th)

Sharks: 18.9% (7^th)

PK-

Flames: 84.0% (9^th)

Sharks: 78.6% (26^th)

WESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS:

DID YOU KNOW?

• Last ten games: Flames 5-3-2, Sharks 5-4-1
• Miikka Kiprusoff has a 1.60 GAA in his last 11 starts, posting a 6-3-2 record.
• Kiprusoff will once again for win number 300 tonight. Kiprusoff will become the 27^th goalie in history to reach the feat.
• Olli Jokinen, who has been one of the most consistent Flames this season, has 6 point in his last 6 contests (1 goal, 5 assists).
• The Flames PP has been clicking lately, going 8 for 33 in their last 11 contests (24.3%).
• The Flames signed defensemen Derek Smith to a two year, one-way contract extension today. Smith has been out since Jan. 1 with an ankle injury.
• The Sharks Logan Couture continues to show his rookie campaign was no fluke as he is the hottest Shark right now riding a 6 game point streak (4 goals, 5 assists).
• Joe Thornton is also hot for the Sharks with 6 points in his last three games.
• The Sharks have a tough road ahead of them as they look to lock down the Pacific Division. They kick off a 9 game road trip next week before they have a packed 17-game schedule in March.
• Owen Nolan who announced his retirement on Monday, will drop the opening puck at tonight’s game.

GAME DAY QUOTE:

“He’s a hell of a goaltender, I think it’s probably fair to say when those players walk into the locker room in Calgary and they see his number or his name circled, they get a pretty good feeling. That’s a true sign of a goaltender that can carry a team and he’s been that for many years there."

- Sharks Coach Todd McLellan on Miikka Kiprusoff