Calgary Flames (27-21-8) at Washington Capitals (38-11-8)
When: Tuesday, 5 p.m., Capital One Arena
TV: Sportsnet West. Radio: Sportsnet 960 The Fan
Odds: Capitals -207, Flames +170
The buzz
Since training camp, this is exactly what the Calgary Flames were asking for.
They wanted to be in the mix for the stretch run, playing meaningful games against tough opponents with big stakes on the line.
And here they are.
Tuesday’s game against the NHL’s best team, the Washington Capitals, kicks off a six game trip that will see them play four of the Eastern Conference’s playoff teams before a pit-stop in Philadelphia for a matchup with the Flyers and then one more against the Dallas Stars, who are one of the league’s hottest teams.
So yeah, not easy.
But the fact that it feels so significant means the Flames have accomplished what they set out to do and stayed in the playoff mix through the first two-thirds of a season.
“I don’t want to say make-or-break, but these are important games,” Flames defenceman MacKenzie Weegar said. “We’re going on a tough road trip against some pretty elite teams.
“We’re going to have our full squad going into this road-trip. We need it, but I believe in this team.”
The Flames are coming off a 3-2 win over the San Jose Sharks in their first game back from the 4 Nations Face-Off break on Sunday night, but the Capitals present a very different challenge.
The Sharks happen to be the league’s worst team, with 38 points. Nobody has more points than the Capitals, who have 84.
The quote
“It’s sky-high, for sure. This is what you play for. We played all year to put ourselves in a position where we’re pushing for a spot, and now we’re here, 27 games out.”
— Flames winger Ryan Lomberg on the level of excitement about this coming trip.
The news
- Connor Zary and Kevin Bahl were both activated from the IR after missing significant stretches on Sunday, but only Zary played against the Sharks. Bahl was only out because of an illness, though, so there’s a good chance he’ll be back in the lineup against the Capitals.
- We’re not quite at the point where all anyone is talking about is Alex Ovechkin chasing down Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record, but we’re getting there. Ovechkin has 29 goals in 41 games this season and 882 in his career. He’s on pace to pass Gretzky’s total of 894 on April 4 against the Chicago Blackhawks
- The Capitals are on a 16-game home point streak, going 11-0-5 in that stretch. The most recent time they lost in regulation at home was Nov. 23 against the New Jersey Devils.
The projected lineup
Forwards
Huberdeau-Kadri-Coronato
Zary-Backlund-Coleman
Farabee-Frost-Sharangovich
Lomberg-Rooney-Pospisil
Defence
Bahl-Andersson
Hanley-Weegar
Bean-Pachal
Goalies
Wolf
Vladar
The injuries
Justin Kirkland (knee) and Anthony Mantha (knee) are both finished for the season.