Preview: Calgary Flames vs Toronto Maple Leafs 11/28/17 (24/82): Home Sweet Dome

Calgary Flames vs Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 PM MT, Scotiabank Saddledome, Caglary AB

After what seems like forever, the Calgary Flames are finally back on home ice. Calgary just finished up a 6 game road trip with a 3-2-1 record over those 6 games. The Flames had the chance to learn a lot about themselves as that road trip featured a game where they were beat up, literally, they had to claw back into a game to win, a game they dominated and two games where they should have won, but didn’t do enough to win. The Flames now return home for 4 straight with one of the hottest lines going in the NHL. Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Micheal Ferland have been piling up the points lately and their chemistry is something to watch. While they all played well on the road, they’ve been equally as dangerous at home. Gaudreau has 18 points at the Saddledome, Monahan has 11 points in 11 home games and Ferland has collected 8 points at home.

The Maple Leafs have cooled off a bit as the month of November is coming to a close and their play for most of the month has been incredibly solid. The Leafs are 8-4-1, with 6 of their 8 wins coming in a row. During that winning streak Frederik Andersen pitched back to back shutouts and Toronto found the back of the net 21 times. Goals are something the Maple Leafs know a thing or two about as they are #1 in the NHL in GF with a robust 87. That’s 20 more than the Flames.

Both teams are very solid on the PP, 9th and 10th, so there could be some exciting 5 on 4 play if the opportunity presents itself. What has been tough for the Maple Leafs in this series are their visits to the Saddledome. Toronto is 1-9-0 in their last 10 visits to the Stampede City.

What’s Happening With The Opposition?

Last Time Out

Calgary Flames 3 Colorado Avalanche 2

Calgary closed out a 6 game road trip with a solid 3-2 win in Denver over the Avalanche. David Rittich got his first NHL start and looked more than capable, stopping 24 of the 26 shots he faced. Calgary got milestone goals from Dougie Hamilton (50) and Mikael Backlund (100) to pace the offence. Here’s our recap and highlights from NHL.com

Toronto Maple Leafs 2 Washington Capitals 4

The Maple Leafs last took to the ice on Saturday and fell to the Capitals 4-2. Toronto got the Ovechkin Treatment as Ovi scored 3 goals on 4 shots. Pension Plan Puppets has the recap and NHL.com provides the highlights.

Players To Watch

Calgary Flames

Micheal Ferland (F). After a 2 game reprieve, Micheal Ferland has deposited goals in his last 2 games. Ferland took the offence into his own hands on Saturday as he fired shot after shot on net, finding pay dirt once. He hit the crossbar once and missed over the top of the net twice. His confidence is growing and he provides a lethal scoring threat that compliments Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan very well.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Nazem Kadri (C). Kadri has points in 4 of his last 5 and always seems to be a thorn in the Flames side. The London Ontario native is second on the Leafs in points (21) and goals (11) and he’s a major part of Toronto’s balanced offensive attack. In his last 7 games against the Flames he has 5 points.

by Mark Parkinson