Calgary Flames vs New York Islanders Preview 2/25/2016 (59/82)

NY Islanders @ Calgary Flames, 9 PM ET, Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta

The Flames welcome the Islanders to Alberta for their only visit to the Stampede City this season. The Islanders come into this contest tied for 5th in the Eastern Conference with 71 points and are 4-0 in their last 4 games against Western Conference opponents. NY is 17-26-11 against the Flames at the Dome, but are 2-1 in their last 3 visits West. The Flames are struggling as the trade deadline approaches having lost 4 of their last 5 games, all to Western Conference opponents. Calgary has an 11-12 record against the East this season, with one of those losses a 4-0 shut out at the hands of the Islanders back in October. The goalie that game? Joni Ortio. Thursday night Ortio has a chance at redemption and a chance to gain more confidence in bench boss Bob Hartley. Here's how the teams match-up:

The Flames struggles against the West continued Tuesday night as they dropped a 2-1 decision to the LA Kings. Joni Ortio was magnificent in his first start since being called up. He stopped 35 of 37 shots in the loss. Jiri Hudler continued his hot play by picking up an assist on Calgary’s lone goal. Here’s the highlights:

The Islanders last skated on Tuesday night and took down the Minnesota Wild 4-1. Jaroslav Halak stopped 30 of 31 shots and Frans Nielsen scored his 17th and 18th goals of the season to pace the Islanders. Here’s the highlights:

Calgary Flames Projected Lines (these are the projected line and can change at any time up until puck drops)

Scratches: Josh Jooris, Dennis Wideman (Susp)

Injuries: Kris Russell, Karri Ramo, Ladislav Smid

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

Scratches: None

Injuries: Calvin de Haan, Mikhail Grabovski

by Mark Parkinson