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Calgary Flames @ Nashville Predators, 6pm MT, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville TN
Where To Watch & Listen
| BroadcastSchedule |
|---|
| BroadcastSchedule |
| TV: SNF |
| Radio: Sportsnet 960 |
Well, it was bound to happen. The Flames have hit the skids lately and Mike Smith has looked mortal at times. And that’s not a shot at Smith. There was no way he was going to continue playing at the torrid pace he was on. The problem for Calgary has been if he isn’t playing out of his mind, the team in front on him can’t pick the Flames up. Calgary is struggling to put pucks in the net, having scored 3 goals or more only three times on the young season. The Flames PP unit is in need of a serious boost. The Flames are middle of the pack in the NHL and they are 2-15 over their last 4 games.
The Predators look like the team that went to the Stanley Cup Finals last season. Nashville has won 2 of their last 3 and Pekka Rinne has been lights out in 2017-18. He’s 4-1-1 and after giving up 5 goals in a 6-5 win on October 10th, he’s only given up 4 goals in his last 4 games. Filip Forsberg is off to a strong start leading the Preds in goals (6) and points (11).
Where these two teams are even is on the PK. Calgary and Nashville are both killing penalties at an 80%+ clip. Calgary sits at 4th in the NHL at 86.8% and Nashville isn’t far off in 8th place at 84.2%. This isn’t exactly a good match-up for that struggling Calgary PP. Both teams are even when it comes to their overall record against each other (34-34-2), but the Flames are 4-1-0 in their last 5 trips to the Music City.
Tale Of The Tape
| Calgary Flames | Stats | Nashville Predators |
|---|---|---|
| Calgary Flames | Stats | Nashville Predators |
| 4-4-0 | Record | 4-3-1 |
| 8 | Points | 9 |
| 5th Pacific | Division | 4th Central |
| 11th West | Conference | 7th West |
| 2-3-0 | Last 5 | 3-1-1 |
| 20 | Goals For | 21 |
| 23 | Goals Against | 21 |
| Monahan (5) | Goals | Forsberg (6) |
| Gaudreau (11) | Points | Forsberg (11) |
| Tkachuk (12) | PIM | McLeod (31) |
| Smith (.927) | Save% | Rinne (.932) |
| 18.8 (14th) | PP% | 22.9 (11th) |
| 86.8 (4th) | PK% | 84.2 (9th) |
| 1-2-0 | 2016-17 VS | 2-1-0 |
| 32-32-4 | Overall VS | 32-32-4 |
Starting Goalies (E=Expected, C=Confirmed)
| Player | Record | GAA | Save% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Record | GAA | Save% |
| Flames: Smith (E) | 4-4-0 | 2.58 | .927 |
| Predators: Rinne (E) | 4-1-1 | 2.01 | .932 |
What’s Happening With The Opposition?
McLeod-y With a Chance of Pain: Why Is Cody McLeod Still Getting Icetime? https://t.co/EXUHMe13ac
— On The Forecheck (@OnTheForecheck) October 22, 2017
Last Time Out
Calgary Flames 2 Minnesota Wild 4
The Flames last took to the ice on Saturday night and were dispatched by the Minnesota Wild 4-2. The loss was Calgary’s 3rd in their last four and it continued a string of no offence dating back to their 6-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators. On the positive side T.J. Brodie got 2 assists in the contest, upping his point total to 8 on the season. To add insult to injury the Flames lost Jaromir Jagr to a lower body injury that could keep him out for the rest of this week. Here’s our recap and highlights from NHL.com
Nashville Predators 2 NY Rangers 4
The Preds had a modest 2 game winning streak snapped at the hands of the NY Rangers Saturday night. Pekka Rinne got the night off and his replacement Juuse Saros didn’t fare well. Saros stopped 11 of the 14 shots he faced in only his second start of the season. On The Forecheck has the recap and NHL.com provides the highlights.
Players To Watch
Calgary Flames
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Mark Jankowski (C). IF, a big IF, Jankowski sees the ice it will be all eyes on the young Calgary centre. Janko was recalled on Monday after the Flames placed Jaromir Jagr on IR. Jankowski arguably played himself into a spot on the Flames roster in the preseason, but was sent to Stockton instead. In 6 games with the Flames AHL affiliate Jankowski has impressed with 5 goals and 3 assists.
Nashville Predators
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P.K. Subban (D). The Toronto native is off to a hot start with 7 points (1G 6A) in the Predators first 8 games. Always known for his rocket shot and offence, Subban’s point totals were “down” last season as he logged 40 points in 66 games, but he appears to be back on track in 2017-18. Subban has 3 points in his last 5 meetings with the Flames.