Flames come back to town hungry for another win

Game 4, Round 1: Dallas Stars vs Calgary Flames – Series Tied 2-2

Tonight At 7:30 PM MT @ Scotiabank Saddledome

Dallas Stars 21-22 Regular Season Record: 45-30-7 – (98 Points – Finished 4th in the Central Division – First Wildcard spot)

Calgary Flames 21-22 Regular Season Record: 50-21-11 (111 Points – Finished 1st in the Pacific Division)

Broadcast Info: TV – CBC, Sportsnet, ESPN/ Radio – Sportsnet 960

Well… It’s Gameday in the C of Red, as the Flames are back in action against Dallas in Game 5 of their first-round matchup. Coming into this The Flames took it to the Stars on Monday by a score of 4-1 and completely dominated Dallas. The Flames finally took the monkey off their back and beat their scoring woes. The game was straight out of the playbook of the regular season, as the team made the Stars play into what they wanted and not the other way around. The Flames completely disassembled the Stars whether it be at 5v5, PK, or any fashion, the team was a force to be reckoned with. The Stars didn't want any piece of the Flames at all and the series is now tied coming into Calgary again.

Just like the last game, the team needs to keep up their high-intensity game and just keep pummeling Jake Oettinger with shots and send some traffic to the net. The Flames were also very effective at clogging the neutral zone and making the Stars play dump and chase for pretty much the whole game. The team was also very good at sending high danger chances to the net. They led the category by a whopping 25-11. When I say that the Flames NEEDED a win like that badly, I mean it wholeheartedly. That was the pure definition of a complete game and the Flames showed that they're not done just yet.

Another highlight for the Flames in this game was the play of goaltender Jacob Markstrom. He stopped 34 of the 35 shots he faced and posted a .971 save percentage. Yet another great game from Marky as he has now posted a .952 save percentage in the entirety of this matchup against the Stars. When the Flames needed a positive note in Games 2-3 he was one of them and he still continues to do that. If the Flames want to go further in this postseason, they need to ensure they provide run support and play phenomenally in front of their Vezina nominee netminder.

All-in-all we’re in store for a good one, as both teams come into this one hungry for more. One team is hungry to get back into the win column, meanwhile the other is trying to build off of their last game and prove a whole bunch of people wrong. The ‘Dome will be rocking all night long and it should make for a very entertaining battle between the Flames and Stars.

Last Time Around

Game 1: Flames 1-0 Stars

Game 2: Stars 2-0 Flames

Game 3: Stars 4-2 Flames

Game 4: Flames 4-1 Stars

Betting Odds Via Betway

To win the game:

Stars: +180 (Underdogs)

Flames: -220 (Favourites)

Moneyline:

Stars: 2.80

Flames: 1.45

Puckline:

Stars: 1.69

Flames: 2.25

by Taranjot Vining