Flames: 17-9-2, 36 points, 3rd in Pacific, 6th in West, 10th League.
Maple Leafs: 14-9-3, 31 Points, 4th in Atlantic, 6th in East, 15th League.
So the Flames had their winning streak stopped at 4 when the Sharks managed to find a few bounces and beat the Flames with the help of some stellar play from Niemi. Now the western warriors will have to find a way to continue a trend they haven’t deviated from all season: not losing 2 games in a row in regulation. They do so by going on the road all the way east to Toronto, where the Maple Leafs are waiting to finish the last game of a 5 game home stand. It’s clear that Hartley is in no mood to let up on the boys at the moment. Following the last loss he had very few comments for the media and seemed rather upset with the game. Of course, Hartley, always the optimist, does his best to focus on the positive and only teach from mistakes, never punish, so the Flames should still be upbeat and motivated to right the wrongs of the last few games where their play has been a little sloppy. Hartley’s recent comments emphasize the need for the Flames to take their position in the standings seriously and continue to focus on their work ethic as they go on the road, but of course Hartley always throws something in to keep things light:
Quote:
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"In our situation, every game is special. We're entering a crucial segment. The first four games are on the road and this is not an easy trip. There won't be easy trips. We want to be a playoff team. There is no sense putting whipped cream on everything. It's down to business and every game is going to be tough."
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That’s probably just what the Flames need to get ready and have their legs going against an opponent who has had work ethic issues at times this year.
If there’s one big weakness for the Leafs, it’s their work ethic and leadership. It’s not that there aren’t quality character individuals on this team, it’s that the ones who should be the example to the rest are weak in the character department. It’s why players like Stephane Robidas, Leo Komarov, and Mike Santorelli (who’s having a career year) were brought in to try and add some work ethic and character to a team that’s been lacking it in recent years. It’s been working in spurts, as the Leafs have won a few in a row here and there, but then you look at the bad loss to Buffalo and the 9-2 blowout against Nashville and there are times the Leafs look downright awful. Which team shows up tonight? Who knows, but the one thing we do know is the Leafs will score goals.
Their top line of Kessel-Bozak-Van Riemsdyk are 12th, 25th, and 48th in league scoring. Having a line where all 3 guys are in the top 50 means danger, and special attention will have to be paid by the Flames tonight, especially Monahan’s line which is the de facto shutdown line. Still, that line is known for some soft to poor defensive play as all 3 are in the minus, despite putting up a lot of points as a unit. In fact the whole team is putting up points with the 2nd best GF/G in the league, with a solid powerplay and 5 on 5 ratio. The problem for the Leafs, of course, is defense and goaltending, giving up 3.00 GA/G, just ahead of Buffalo.
Now I know we all like to beat up on Phaneuf, but he’s actually been a better defenseman this year despite an obvious loss of footspeed. He sits at a +11, which is 2nd on the team and has 13 points in 26 games, despite having just 1 goal. He’s not a perfect player though. He leads the team in penalty minutes by a wide margin, and while he does lead the team with 2 fighting majors, it’s been 17 minor penalties, which have bumped his total up over the season. That averages to roughly 2 penalties for every 3 games. It’s something that the Flames’ speed game should be looking to exploit. Thankfully they have a top 10 PK to offset all those penalties.
Jonathan Bernier should get the start tonight as he had a very strong game against Vancouver with a .957 Sv%, but here are his last 5 Sv% before that: .808, .921, .946, .847, .963. Which is it Bernier? Are you amazing or are you crap? Something tells me the team defense is to blame for most of those bad nights, which speaks to the inconsistency of the Leafs this year.
Raymond is all but confirmed to play tonight for the first time in 17 games. Hiller is the confirmed starter.
Flames
Glencross-Monahan-Jones
Gaudreau-Jooris-Hudler
Raymond-Granlund-Byron
Bollig-Stajan-Bouma
Giordano-Brodie
Russell-Wideman
Smid-Engelland
Hiller
Maple Leafs
Van Riemsdyk-Bozak-Kessel
Lupul-Kadri-Santorelli
Winnik-Holland-Clarkson
Booth-Smith-Panik
Phaneuf-Franson
Gardiner-Holzer
Rielly-Robidas
Bernier
Go Flames Go!!!