Calgary Flames (19-14-7) at Los Angeles Kings (23-10-5)
When: Tuesday, 8:30 p.m. MT, Crypto.com Arena
TV: Sportsnet West. Radio: Sportsnet 960 The Fan
Odds: Flames +185, Kings -225
The buzz
Flames fans probably won’t want to jinx it, but the team’s fortunes seem to be turning around on the road.
A lot has been rightfully made of the contrast between the Flames’ record on the road (6-8-4) versus at home (13-6-3), but after Tuesday night’s overtime win over the Anaheim Ducks, it’s not looking nearly as troubling as it once was.
In fact, the Flames have won three of their past four games on the road and they’ll be looking to keep that going against a very good Kings team that has won four straight overall.
Of course, much of the conversation around Calgary on Wednesday will focus not on this game, but on the health of Connor Zary, who had to leave Tuesday’s game after receiving a terrible-looking, knee-on-knee hit from Ducks defenceman Drew Helleson.
A suspension could be on its way and Flames fans will be hoping that when the doctors get a good look at Zary, they’ll provide a diagnosis that isn’t as bad as it could be.
The quote
“It’s interesting, that’s for sure. You know when someone leaves the dressing room because of the moms. I think that’s a cool thing and I’m glad they were able to help us get a win tonight.
— Head coach Ryan Huska speaking to reporters in Anaheim after Tuesday night’s win, about the positive impact having the team’s moms on this road-trip has had.
The news
- The Kings have been pretty good at home against the Flames recently. Wednesday’s hosts have won the past four head-to-head matchups between the two teams in L.A.
- The previous time these teams played was on Nov. 11, when the Flames won 3-1. They’ll play their final meeting of the season on Saturday night at the Saddledome.
- Trevor Lewis played his 1,000th NHL game on Saturday night. Flames fans will remember him from his two-season, 162-game stint with the team between 2021 and 2023.
The projected lineup
Forwards
- Huberdeau-Kadri-Pospisil
- Coleman-Backlund-Coronato
- Pelletier-???-Sharangovich
- Lomberg-Rooney-Kuzmenko
Defence
- Bahl-Andersson
- Hanley-Weegar
- Bean-Pachal
Goalies
- Vladar
- Wolf
The injuries
While Justin Kirkland and Anthony Mantha are both recovering from season-ending knee surgeries, they are on this special trip with their moms. As noted earlier, we await news on the extent of Connor Zary’s injury.
In case you missed it
The Flames Quarter-Century Team will be announced this coming weekend. We want to hear who you’d have on your all-star squad for the past 25 years.