Calgary Flames vs San Jose Sharks Preview 2/10/2016 (51/82)

Calgary Flames @ San Jose Sharks, 10:30 PM ET, SAP Center, San Jose CA

Well, the Flames survived one game without Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau and Lance Bouma on Tuesday night. Luckily the gang is back together as the Flames begin a critical trip West, beginning in San Jose with the Sharks. San Jose is game number 1 in a run that will most likely determine whether the Flames are going to make a run at the playoffs or make a run at the top pick in the NHL Draft Lottery. The Flames and Sharks last did battle on January 11th with the Sharks coming out on top 5-4, giving the Sharks a 2-1 lead in the season series. Calgary sits 5 points out of 8th in the West and 9 points behind the Sharks and they are getting close to every game being a must win. The Flames have had success in San Jose with a record of 32-29-4 in the Sharks home tank where they average 3 goals a game. All these Western Conference match-ups are huge at this point and getting this road trip off on the right foot in San Jose will be important. Here’s how the teams match-up:

The Flames last played on Tuesday night in a game where one team traded 4 players and another benched 3 players. Calgary and Toronto both played like they were down players. The Flames managed to hang on for an uninspiring 4-3 win, but considering the circumstances, it was a good win. The rest of the team stepped up in Gaudreau, Monahan and Bouma's absence. The line of Sam Bennett, Mikael Backlund and Michael Frolik continued their hot play helping the Flames get the win. Here's the highlights:

The Sharks last played on Tuesday night as well and took down the Chicago Blackhawks 2-0. Joe Thornton picked up 2 points with a goal and an assist and Martin Jones stopped all 33 shots on his way to a shut out. Here’s the highlights:

Calgary Flames Projected Lineup (these are the projected lines and can be changed any time before the puck drop)

Scratches: Joe Colborne, Jakub Nakladal, Lance Bouma, Dennis Wideman (susp)

Injuries: None

San Jose Sharks Projected Lineup (these are the projected lines and can be changed any time before the puck drop)

Scratches: None

Injuries: None

by Mark Parkinson