[GDT] Flames @ Sabres 5:00 MST SNW/Fan 960

[bluck]

Didn't see a thread for this yet so apologies if someone was supposed to create it and I jumped ahead. Just wanted some discussion:

From ESPN:

The Buffalo Sabres are still having trouble putting the puck in the net and have yet to win consecutive home games this season.

Their next opponent could be coming to western New York at the right time as the Sabres wrap up their season series against the Calgary Flames on Monday night.

Buffalo (6-8-4) enters the contest after surprising the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins with a 2-1 shootout win Saturday behind Cal O'Reilly's goal in the tiebreaker and 46 saves through overtime from backup Anders Nilsson.

The Sabres fell 4-3 in overtime to the Flames on Oct. 18 in Calgary, but results in Buffalo have been far different for almost 20 years. Starting on Oct. 22, 1997, the Sabres have posted a 10-0-1 home record in the series, limiting Calgary to two goals or less nine times while scoring at least three goals eight times.

However, Buffalo is 15th in the Eastern Conference and has scored just 33 goals -- an average of 1.8 per game this season. Nine of those have come at home, where the Sabres have managed one goal in each of the last five games.


Matt Moulson leads the team with six goals, and he's also the only Sabre with more than one goal at home in 2016-17. Ryan O'Reilly, Buffalo's second-leading scorer (four goals, five assists), took part in an optional skate Sunday, but could miss his sixth straight game with an oblique injury.

Nilsson may get a second consecutive start over Robin Lehner, who's 0-4-1 with a 3.15 goals-against average in his last five games, and took the loss in Calgary last month.

Calgary (8-11-1) began its longest road trip of the season -- a daunting stretch of six games in nine days throughout the Eastern time zone -- with Sunday's 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings.

Dougie Hamilton, who had gone without a point in 10 straight games, drew three assists. Hamilton, who needs one assist for 100 in his career, has two goals and three assists in a three-game points streak in Buffalo.

"This is huge because we're looking at these six games almost like a playoff series," Hamilton said. "We know we have to pick up some wins on this trip and this is a good start."

With Johnny Gaudreau out for six weeks with a broken finger, Flames coach Glen Gulutzan said this is a teaching moment for the team.


"We need to play in 3-2, 2-1 games," he told the Flames' official website. "It's going to help us evolve as a young group to learn what it takes on a nightly basis to consistently win in this league, and this injury to Johnny, we're trying to spin as a chance to grow in other departments."

The Flames, who have won three of four, are 2-1-1 in the second of back-to-back games this season.

If Gulutzan decides to stay with the hot hand in goal, he'll start Chad Johnson over Brian Elliot.

Johnson made 21 saves, and is 3-1-0 with a 1.50 GAA, a .937 save percentage and a shutout. Johnson has played for six teams since breaking into the league in 2009-10, and posted a career-best 22 wins during his only season with Buffalo in 2015-16.

Going with Elliott may not be a bad thing as he's 4-0-0 with a 1.75 GAA and .952 save percentage in Buffalo. Elliott, though, has lost in each of his last five starts and is 3-8-0 with a 3.36 GAA and .882 save percentage this season.

My prediction Flames win 4-2

[mikephoen]

Is this baseball? It feels like the Flames play every day lately.

[Vinny01]

Elliott is starting tonight per HC@noon in Toronto. I have a good feeling the Flames pull this one off tonight

[AC]

It's Elliott tonight apparently.

@Fan960Steinberg
Gulutzan says the timing was right to give Elliott a start tonight. Eludes to the recent heavy workload of Johnson.

[Poe969]

It would be nice if Johnson playing well starts a fire under Elliott's arse and inspires him to play well. I'd love for the Flames to have a goalie controversy of the good kind for once.

As for tonight's game, who knows? I guess it depends which team shows up. If they keep improving like they have then I think they walk away with this. I'd love to see Bennett really step up.

[CroFlames]

Alludes?

I thought Steinberg was dorky enough to know spelling and grammar.

[Racki]

Originally Posted by AC

It's Elliott tonight apparently.

@Fan960Steinberg
Gulutzan says the timing was right to give Elliott a start tonight. Eludes to the recent heavy workload of Johnson.

Elliott really needs to get his game in order. He has to be feeling "not again" anxiety in a big way. If he doesn't figure things out Chad Johnson is going to take that starters role away from him simply by playing a simple game and making the saves that he's supposed to make.

[polak]

Originally Posted by mikephoen

Is this baseball? It feels like the Flames play every day lately.

Makes it feel better to look at the standings until you realize pretty much everyone has 2 or 3 games on us and we're actually still one of the worst teams in the league

Need to keep this going and string together a long win streak to set things right. 10 games. Win 10 games in a row.

[MissTeeks]

Elliott's stats against Buffalo:

[MissTeeks]

Versteeg back on Wednesday:

[Freddy]

Flames are riding a wave of momentum right now, tonight they keep it going with a 4-2 win.

[wired]

Flames win 4-1.

[Money Baer]

Nice to see Eichel and ROR out of the lineup!

3-1 Flames

[Puppet Guy]

Flying Buffalo Airlines are about to have a hard landing tonight, thanks to The Felt Baron:

Spoiler!

Go Flames

[DJones]

Any idea of the defensive pairings?

Gio - Hamilton
Jokkipakka - Brodie
Kulak - Engellend

I want that

[devo22]

Originally Posted by DJones

Any idea of the defensive pairings?

Gio - Hamilton
Jokkipakka - Brodie
Kulak - Engellend

I want that

we all want that

I doubt it though. Wideman somehow played over 25 minutes yesterday.

[cannon7]

Originally Posted by devo22

we all want that

I doubt it though. Wideman somehow played over 25 minutes yesterday.

Which would be a valid complaint if Wideman was costing us goals, but he isn't. So until he does, whatever works.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by cannon7

Which would be a valid complaint if Wideman was costing us goals, but he isn't. So until he does, whatever works.

LOL.

"We see an obvious problem that we can avoid if we make the smart choice now, keeping us from a painful consequence, but we won't make the smart choice now because we aren't feeling the pain yet."

Brilliant.

[devo22]

yeah I feel we should aim a little higher than "he doesn't really hurt us, I guess" when it comes to 25+ min defensemen.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by devo22

yeah I feel we should aim a little higher than "he doesn't really hurt us YET, I guess" when it comes to 25+ min defensemen.

fyp