Calgary Flames at Arizona Coyotes game preview

The Calgary Flames‘ three-game Pacific Division swing wraps up tonight. The team is in Glendale to face the Glendale Phoenix Arizona Coyotes. And then they’ll play the Coyotes again very next game, but back in Calgary just a couple of days later. But in the meantime, it’s a rematch for the Coyotes, as they’ll try to avenge the 5-3 loss they suffered at the Flames’ hands just over two weeks ago. You may remember that game: Paul Byron couldn’t get a hat trick, but Sven Baertschi got himself two assists, and a grand time was had by all.

Anyway, this particular game just so happens to be the final Hockey Night in Canada game of the day. That means it's an 8 p.m. MT start time on CBC.

But when we last saw the Flames, they shutout the San Jose Sharks. Karri Ramo held strong as Jiri Hudler got two goals, largely thanks to TJ Brodie in a 2-0 victory. The Flames are 9-0-1 after a loss this season. That’s pretty awesome. You get a shutout on the second of a back to back – what’s not to love? | Recap | Fancy Stats Recap | Boxscore | Seriously, Ramo, Hudler, and Brodie were amazing:

And the Coyotes? Well, the last team they beat was the Sharks as well, in a 4-3 shootout victory. After that, they had a 2-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks, and a 4-3 overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche. Since then, they’ve been off for three days, doing things like recalling the undrafted Brendan Shinnimin (a 5’10 23-year-old who, as an overager, scored 134 points in 69 games in the WHL). If he plays, it’ll be his first NHL game.

You can find out waaay more about what's going on with the Coyotes over at Five For Howling.

Game time: 8:00 p.m. MT

Channel: CBC

All-time record: The Flames are 89-76-20-6 against all incarnations of the Coyotes. They have a +48 goal differential against the franchise. The Flames really have, historically, been a great team, huh? Let's get back there.

Common thread: Remember David Moss? He's injured, and has only played six games this season, but is still with the Yotes for at least the rest of the year (barring a trade, of course). And then there's GM Brad Treliving, who was an AGM in Phoenix up until this season, so that's a pretty strong connection right there.

Approaching milestones: Game 98 for Ramo, and tonight, Sean Monahan hits the big 100! He’s just 20 years old and is already one of the team’s leaders.

Current records and leaders

Possible starting lineups

These are the same lines from last game, so they may or may not be accurate. Corban Knight’s recall means he should be dressed, so someone else on the Flames will have to sit for him. And since he’s most likely to centre the fourth line, and Bouma is extremely unlikely to sit, the lines will likely be shifted around a little. Bollig played the least out of all the forwards, but Baertschi played just 20 seconds more, and Ferland 40. So who sits?

On defence. Rafa Diaz barely played the least out of everybody, so it wouldn’t be surprising for him to draw out of the lineup and Engelland to come back in, though that isn’t a certainty.

What is a certainty is Ramo is starting. How can you not give it back to him after a shutout victory? Ramo has won his last three starts since being pulled against the Florida Panthers.

UPDATE: Or! It would appear Knight is still out, leaving the lines mostly intact, although it looks like Granlund and Jooris are swapping lines. Meanwhile, Smid has returned to Calgary for personal reasons, leaving Diaz to slot in his stead. Hopefully everything's okay.

by Ari Yanover