The Matchup
For the third time this season, the 21-17-2 Calgary Flames will face-off against Vancouver to play the 19-18-3 Canucks. Though previously thought to be dead in the water in regards to the Western Conference playoff race, the Canucks have been surging as of late, winning their last five games. Meanwhile, the Flames are also on a roll, winning 11 of their last 15 contests. Calgary enters tonight's game firmly in the second wildcard spot with 44 points in 40 games, while the Canucks sit one point out of a playoff spot with 41 points in the same sample size of games played.
The Flames are 1-0-1 against Vancouver this season. They lost to the Canucks 2-1 in a shootout on October 15, and defeated the Canucks by a 4-1 score on December 23.
The Projected Lineup
Calgary Flames
Kris Versteeg - Sam Bennett - Micheal Ferland
Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Alex Chiasson
Matthew Tkachuk - Mikael Backlund - Michael Frolik
Lance Bouma - Matt Stajan - Freddie Hamilton
Mark Giordano - Dougie Hamilton
T.J. Brodie - Dennis Wideman
Tyler Wotherspoon - Deryk Engelland
Brian Elliott
Chad Johnson
Scratches: Jyrki Jokipakka, Garnet Hathaway, Troy Brouwer (hand)
Vancouver Canucks
Daniel Sedin - Henrik Sedin - Jayson Megna
Loui Eriksson - Brandon Sutter - Markus Granlund
Sven Baertschi - Bo Horvat - Anton Rodin
Brendan Gaunce - Michael Chaput - Jack Skille
Alex Edler - Troy Stecher
Luca Sbisa - Chris Tanev
Ben Hutton - Nikita Tryamkin
Jacob Markstrom
Ryan Miller
Scratches: Erik Gudbranson, Derek Dorsett, Jannik Hansen, Alex Burrows, Philip Larsen
Who to Watch
For the Flames, Mikael Backlund enters this game on a 5-game goal-scoring streak. He'll be given a lot of ice-time tonight against the Canucks' top offensive lines.
Sven Baertschi of the Canucks has four goals in his last three games and is riding a four-game point-scoring streak. In addition, he is a former Flame, having been traded to Vancouver from Calgary in March 2015.
Where to Watch
Catch this one on Sportsnet West or 960 at 8:00 Mountain Time. Rick Ball and Kelly Hrudey will likely have the call on the former station, while Derek Wills and Peter Loubardias will have the radio duties, as always.