Game Preview: Flames vs. Wild
In a battle that is not only between division rivals but two of the most curiously chosen team names in all of hockey, the Calgary Flames (31-25-12) travel to the twin cities to face the Minnesota Wild (29-29-10), starting at 6 pm ET. A few notes as we look at the game:
The Flames lead the head-to-head matchup 3-1 so far this year, having won their last game (appropriately) 3-1 on January 7th in Calgary. That game was a typical Wild/Flames affair: a hard fought, defensive battle between the two teams. There was no scoring until the third period, and Lance Bouma notched his first NHL goal.
The Wild have had a wild season (sorry), starting incredibly hot with an astonishing record of 20-7-3, before cratering out when regression inevitably happened. They, like the Flames, can also point to a crowded sickbay- most teams would struggle without talents like Mikko Koivu and Pierre-Marc Bouchard. The playoffs are out of reach for Minnesota; at this point, coach Mike Yeo is playing for his job, and seeing who on the team deserves to keep THEIR jobs after a disappointing season.
Calgary current sits in a tie for ninth in the West, and control their own destiny as the season winds down. Playing all Western Conference teams the rest of the way, they’ll have no one to blame but themselves if they’re unable to secure a playoff seeding. Continued hot play from Alex Tanguay (four goals and nine assists in the last eight games) Jarome Iginla (five goals and four assists in the last five) would go a long way towards making that happen. Hopefully they can avoid any more injuries.
Though their history suggests a tight game, the Flames have been playing looser of late, scoring a lot and giving up good opportunities the other way. The Wild are dead-last in the league in goals per game, and have had a few defensive hiccups recently: they allowed seven goals in a game against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, and six to the Detroit Red Wings last Friday. This, like many games remaining, is one Calgary needs to win, taking care of business against a team they SHOULD beat.
Go Flames Go!