Game 50--Predators@Flames: Someone Has To Lose

The Flames prepare to do battle with the Nashville Predators tonight (7:30PM MT, Sportsnet West) for the first time since October, with both teams coming into this one on winning streaks

Those are some unreal numbers at even strength, and they certainly help to explain why the Preds continue to win despite scoring just 95 times at ES this season and battling through a spate of injuries to their forward corps. Wiith Steve Sullivan and Marek Svatos currently out of commission, Canadian Olympian Shea Weber is the team's leading scorer, with eight goals and 29 points through 48 games.

Added to the fact that the Preds have been out-shot in just over half of their games this season, it would be easy to say that they're verachieving, but this is a club that has again done a lot with relatively little. The Preds have made the playoffs in every season but one since the lockout, and with extra cap space to their name thanks to good drafting and inexpensive free agent signings--taking almost the exact opposite path that the Flames have been going down since the work stoppage.

Lines and Pairings:

Tanguay-Morrison-Iginla

Bourque-Jokinen-Moss

Hagman-Stajan-Glencross

Jackman-Backlund-Kostopoulos

Regehr-Bouwmeester

Giordano-Sarich

Pardy-Babchuk

Kiprusoff

I'm guessing Rinne will counter for the Preds in net...after all, why mess with the hot hand, right?

Enjoy the game everyone and make sure to up your caffeine intake during the game, as it's unlikely to be barn burner. Go Flames.