Projected Lines: CGY @ CHI

Projected Lines

Calgary Flames versus Chicago Blackhawks

United Center

Chicago, Illinois

The Flames will have a post-game deep dish pizza waiting if they can start their road trip off in Chicago on the right foot.

We start out check-in at warmups in the crease, where Jacob Markstrom is manning the starter’s net.

Per Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960:

Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images

This will be Markstrom’s fourth consecutive start, returning to the crease after stopping 24 of 25 against the Islanders on Friday at home. Dan Vladar has been riding the pine since December 28th. In his last seven starts, Markstrom has won five of them and has a GAA hovering just over 2 in that span. Overall, he carries an .897 Save Percentage on the year and a 2.72 GAA alongside a 13-10-4 record.

In other recent roster news, Dennis Gilbert and Radim Zohorna were sent back down to the AHL as of December 29th, but Zohorna was recalled one day later on December 30th. Other Wranglers making the trip down the hallway are Walker Duehr and Jakob Pelletier who were recalled yesterday. This leaves the active roster at 23 for the time being.

Lineup Looks:

• Brett Ritchie exited the New Year’s Eve game against Vancouver with what appeared to be a wrist injury. He saw a specialist for it on January 3rd and has been placed on retroactive Injured Reserve as of January 8th. The retroactive placement sees him technically eligible to return anytime now, it’s just dependent on the functionality and severity of the injury.
• D-Man Chris Tanev had missed four games since suffering a head injury against Montreal on December 12th. He made his return December 20th and skated on the second pair with Mackenzie Weegar and looks to remain there for the time being.
• Defender Oliver Kylington remains away on personal leave.
• The Flames have recalled forward Radim Zohorna from the AHL Wranglers as of December 30th after sending him down on December 23rd, just before the Christmas break. Forward Matthew Phillips and defenseman Nick DeSimone have gone the other way.
• Walker Duehr and Jakob Pelletier were both called up from the Wranglers on January 7th.
• Dennis Gilbert has been up and down like a roller coaster. The defender was sent back down to the Wranglers as of November 27th and recalled on December 18th, and spent a stint on IR before being recalled December 28th, then sent down again the next day.
• After being a highly published healthy scratch for three games this season, Milan Lucic will remain in the lineup and in the top six. Connor Mackey, Walker Duehr, and Jakob Pelletier will be tonight’s healthy scratches and Radim Zohorna will sub in for Brett Ritchie.
• In the forward groupings, Adam Ruzicka looks to remain swapped off the top line but has been working to find his offense again after an earlier hot streak. Over the prior twenty games he has two goals and twelve points.
• Jonathan Huberdeau will stay in the top six but remain on the second line since being swapped with Dillon Dube. Huberdeau is hopefully rounding into form after tacking on seventeen points over his last twenty games. He had an assist on the OT winner against Anaheim on the 23rd, and previously went off with three assists against the Sharks on December 20th. He also scored the big GWG against the Kraken on December 28th.

Projections:

Barring any major changes when lineups are submitted, they are projected as follows:

FORWARD 1: Dube-Lindholm-Toffoli

FORWARD 2: Lucic-Kadri-Huberdeau

FORWARD 3: Mangiapane-Backlund-Coleman

FORWARD 4: Ruzicka-Zohorna-Lewis

D1: Hanifin-Andersson

D2: Tanev-Weegar

D3: Zadorov-Stone

GOALTENDERS: Markstrom (starter), Vladar (backup)