Game #19: Stars at Flames Game Thread

The Flames hit a new low in Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks; not only are they now boasting their longest losing streak of the season, but the team totaled just 13 shots on goal in a game they were extremely lucky to earn a point in thanks to Reto Berra, a fluke goal by Kris Russell and some nifty moves by Mike Cammalleri.

Part of that was bad luck; the puck seemed to be bouncing off of sticks and shinpads all night long and missing the sticks of Flames players by just centimetres. Part of it was also turnovers, bad reads and simply being outplayed by a superior team.

Tonight, they face the Dallas Stars, a team just five points above them in the standings, but one whom they lost to in a 5-1 drubbing just three weeks ago. The Stars scored three goals in just over a minute in that game, but are just 6-2-2 in their past 10 games, and are -3 in terms of goal differential 18 games into the season.

Projected Lines:

Stars forward lines (as per Defending Big D):

Benn-Seguin-Nichushkin

Chiasson-Eakin-Cole

Horcoff-Fiddler-Peverley

Garbutt-Mourin-Roussell

Lehtonen

Since these two teams last saw each other, 10th overall pick Valeri Nichushkin has worked his way up to the first line with Benn and Seguin, two pretty good players. We’ll see how the Flames attempt to neutralize that threat tonight.

Flames:

Galiardi-Stajan-Jones

Cammalleri-Colborne-Stempniak

Baertschi-Monahan-Hudler

Jackman-Backlund-McGrattan

Brodie-Butler

Russell-Wideman

Smid-O'Brien

Berra

Mikael Backlund has been demoted back down to the fourth line after what some saw as a poor performance on his part in Tuesday’s game. Sigh. Everyone outside of Berra was pretty much awful in that game, so I’m not entirely sure how you single out Backlund, but whatever. Poor Ladislav Smid has to play with Shane O’Brien tonight.

Anyhow, go Flames.

by Hayley Mutch