As a fan, winning feels good. I can only imagine how much better it feels as a player. After laying on an ass-whomping in Buffalo, the Flames want to keep the good vibes flowing as they pay a visit to the Senators tonight in Kanata.
Setting tonight's table (
www.calgarysun.com):
Quote:
Sean Monahan made an early exit during Wednesday’s third period in Buffalo, but it was just a precautionary measure as the 23-year-old alternate captain plays through a nagging injury. Monahan will be back in his usual first-line slot against the Senators, and the Flames certainly need him for their playoff push. With his top-shelf blast against the Sabres, Monahan hit the 30-goal mark for second time in his career. He continues to lead the NHL with 11 game-winners this winter.
Could this really be the last time the Flames face Erik Karlsson in Ottawa’s colours? With the Senators plummeting in the standings, there was widespread speculation the two-time Norris Trophy winner could be a goner at the trade deadline. Those rumours will certainly swirl again in the summer, when Karlsson is eligible to sign a contract extension. “As of right now, I’m going to worry about playing this season and doing as good as we possibly can to end the year that we have had,” he told reporters Thursday.
Thanks to a pair of assists against the Sabres, all-star left-winger Johnny Gaudreau boosted his season total to 56 helpers, the most by a Flames setup ace in more than a decade. In Calgary’s club lore, only a half-dozen guys have racked up 60-plus assists in a single season. Gaudreau is on track to join that exclusive club. The last to achieve that feat was fellow mighty mite Theoren Fleury, who had 66 apples during the 1992-93 campaign.
The most recent meeting between these northern foes was lopsided, with the Senators embarrassing the Flames by a 6-0 count in mid-October at the Saddledome … Flames RW Curtis Lazar returns to Canadian Tire Centre for the first time since being traded from Ottawa to Calgary on deadline-day in 2017.
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lineups, subject to change (
www.dailyfaceoff.com)
FLAMES
Gaudreau - Monahan - Ferland
Tkachuk - Backlund - Frolik
Bennett - Jankowski - Hathaway
Brouwer - Stajan - Lazar
Giordano - Hamilton
Brodie - Hamonic
Kulak - Stone
Rittich (unconfirmed)
SENATORS
Ryan - Pageau - Stone
Dzingel - Duchene - Hoffman
Paajarvi - Smith - Pyatt
Bitey Burrows - O'Brien - Gaborik
Claesson - Karlsson
Harpur - Ceci
Borowiecki - Chabot
Condon (unconfirmed)
Ah, Ottawa; a city which holds a special place in the hearts of Canadians. As he believes that every Canadian should see the sights of the nation's capital, That Darn Puppet and Scorch find themselves visiting Parliament Hill:
Go Flames