Calgary Flames @ NY Islanders 2/11/18 (56/82): The Isles Can Score, Can’t Stop The Puck

Calgary Flames @ NY Islanders, 5 PM MT, Barclays Center, Brooklyn NY

The Flames monster road trip continues with a trip to Brooklyn to take on the NY Islanders. Calgary is currently 3 games into a 6 game trek through the East and they find themselves 2-1-0 so far. The Flames lost to the Rangers on Friday night, but got some unexpected contributions on offence in the 4-3 loss. Curtis Lazar deposited his first goal of the season, Brett Kulak scored his first NHL goal and Ryan Lomberg picked up his first NHL point as well. There’s no guarantee that these guys will continue to score, but getting ANYTHING from their bottom 6 and bottom D pairing (Stone scored against Chicago) is a bonus. The Flames top 2 lines have 101 of Calgary’s 154 markers this season.

The Islanders have no problems scoring goals on their end. They are second in the league with 188 goals and they average 31.2 shots per game. The Isles have 7 players with double digit tallies, lead by Anders Lee and his 29 goals. Where the Islanders struggle is keeping the puck out of their own net. NY is #1 in the league in GA with a robust 206, 18 ahead of 2nd place Arizona. NY has lost 4 out of their last 6 and they’ve been outscored 27-19 in those 6 games.

This is the first meeting between these two this season, with the final contest coming in March 11th. NY holds the overall series record at 49-45-20 and they’ve been very good against Calgary whether it be at Barcalys or the old Nassua Colosseum. The Flames are 1-6-0 in their last 7 trips to the Islanders home rink.

What’s Happening With The Opposition?

NY Islanders Coverage: Lighthouse Hockey

Last Time Out

Calgary Flames 3 NY Rangers 4

The Flames battled all night against the Rangers, but came out on the short end of a 4-3 loss Friday night. Glass half full? Calgary got goals from Curtis Lazar, Brett Kulak and Ryan Lomberg picked up his first NHL point. Here’s our recap and the highlights from NHL.com

NY Islanders 7 Detroit Red Wings 6 (OT)

The Isles snapped a 2 game losing streak with a 7-6 OT win over the Red Wings. NY continued their season long trend of score a lot, but give up a lot. Lighthouse Hockey has the recap and NHL.com provides the highlights.

Players To Watch

Calgary Flames

Curtis Lazar (F). Lazar FINALLY got the monkey off his back by getting his first goal of the season Friday night against the Rangers. It took 40 games and 37 SOG before Lazar buried his first of the year. Maybe this will open the flood gates and we’ll see more scoring? It’s not for lack of trying either. Lazar has played very well lately and here’s hoping this gets his game going to that next level.

NY Islanders

Josh Bailey (F). Bailey has 5 points in his last 5 games, but where he’s really excelled lately in on the PP. Bailey has 3 assists on the power play and one goal over those last 5 games. He’s also been a force at home with 36 points in 25 games.

by Mark Parkinson