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Calgary Flames vs Chicago Blackhawks, 7 PM MT, Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary AB
Where To Watch & Listen
| BroadcastSchedule |
|---|
| BroadcastSchedule |
| TV: SN360 |
| Radio: Sportsnet 960 |
The Flames will ring in the New Year with a visit from the Chicago Blackhawks Sunday night. Calgary is currently on a 3 game losing skid, their 3rd of the month and an unsettling trend. The Flames don’t seem to be able to gain any traction and their lack of goal scoring is 100% to blame. The Flames top line of Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Micheal Ferland has all but disappeared this month and Calgary is struggling as they try to find the magic again. Ferland at least has 3 goals in his last 5 games, but Monahan and Gaudreau have a combined 6 points in their last 10 games, with only 1 of those points being a Johnny Gaudreau goal in a 3-2 loss to San Jose. Not. Good. Enough.
The Blackhawks aren’t lighting it up by any stretch of the imagination lately either. The Blackhawks have had two 3 game losing streaks this month, sandwiched in between a 5 game winning streak. They just snapped on of those 3 game skids by taking down the Oilers 4-3 in overtime Friday night. And much like the Flames, goal scoring was an issues for them as well. In their last 3 losses the Blackhawks were outscored 13-3 with Corey Crawford taking the loss in two of those games.
The Flames and Blackhawks are neck and neck in the West with Calgary in 11th place and the ‘Hawks in 10th. Both teams are just outside of the last WC spot and a win for either team would be huge. Dallas and Minnesota are in a dog fight for that final spot and both teams are currently on winning streaks, while Calgary and Chicago are not.
How They Match Up
| Calgary Flames | Stats | Chicago Blackhawks |
|---|---|---|
| Calgary Flames | Stats | Chicago Blackhawks |
| 18-16-4 | Record | 18-14-5 |
| 40 | Points | 41 |
| 4th Pacific | Division | 6th Central |
| 11th West | Conference | 10th West |
| 2-2-1 | Last 5 | 2-3-0 |
| 102 | Goals For | 109 |
| 108 | Goals Against | 101 |
| Monahan (17) | Goals | Kane (16) |
| Gaudreau (41) | Points | Kane (38) |
| Brouwer (44) | PIM | Hayden (38) |
| Rittich (.924) | Save% | Crawford (.929) |
| 17.4 (20th) | PP% | 15.2 (29th) |
| 77.6 (26th) | PK% | 82.2 (12th) |
| 1-2-0 | 2016-17 VS | 2-1-0 |
| 75-84-26 | Overall VS | 84-75-26 |
Starting Goalies (E=Expected, C=Confirmed)
| Player | Record | GAA | Save% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Record | GAA | Save% |
| Flames: Smith (E) | 14-13-3 | 2.56 | .920 |
| Blackhawks: Glass (C) | 1-0-0 | 2.95 | .933 |
What’s Happening With The Opposition?
#Blackhawks Jeff Glass proves unbreakable in unforgettable NHL debut https://t.co/PGyRv9YfCu pic.twitter.com/3w1KCOkHBc
— Second City Hockey (@2ndCityHockey) December 30, 2017
Last Time Out
Calgary Flames 1 Anaheim Ducks 2
Another trip to Anaheim, another loss as Calgary fell to the Ducks 2-1 Friday night. The Flames continued to struggle with goal scoring as Micheal Ferland (15th) was the only Flame to find the back of the net in another frustrating loss. Here’s our recap and highlights from NHL.com
Chicago Blackhawks 4 Edmonton Oilers 3 (OT)
Chicago snapped a 3 game losing streak Friday with a 4-3 win over the Oilers in overtime. Jeff Glass made his first NHL start stopping 42 of the 45 shots that came his way, getting his first career win. Second City Hockey has the recap and NHL.com provides the highlights.
Players To Watch
Calgary Flames
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Micheal Ferland (F). Ferland seems to be one of the few Flames putting the puck in the net as of late. He has 3 goals in his last 5 games, 3 more than his line mates Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. In Calgary’s last 3 games they have scored only 5 goals, but Ferland has 2 of the 5.
Chicago Blackhawks
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Jeff Glass (G). Glass will get his second career NHL start tonight after a very impressive debut against the Oilers Friday night. Glass faced a barrage of 45 shots, surrendering only 3 goals to a high powered Edmonton team to get his first NHL victory. The Flames have a bad habit of making struggling or “green” goalies look like Vezina Trophy candidates this season.