CAPITAL GAINS REQUIRED
The Calgary Flames have fallen to the bottom of the Western Conference after a 1- 4 start to the season. Can they climb up the ranks against the visiting Washington Capitals on Tuesday night? Here are five things to watch, writes Kristen Odland
Bob Hartley
1. HOME SWEET HOME? The Flames are 0- 3- 0 on home ice. Last time they got off to a start that bad at the Saddledome? Back in 2000- 01 ... Last season, the club was 23- 13- 5 in Calgary ... The Flames know this and, as such, Monday’s skate had a little more enthusiasm after enjoying a day off to ponder Saturday’s latest casualty — a 5- 2 loss versus the Edmonton Oilers. “There was life at practice,” said Flames head coach Bob Hartley. “That’s just who we are. It doesn’t matter. ( The start of the season) kind of got away from us. We’re not happy about it. But, hey, it’s behind us. Good people always find solutions. No excuses. We addressed it this morning ... we know we’re better than this. We can hold ourselves accountable and we need to.”
Alex Ovechkin
2. OVECHKIN FACTOR LW Alex Ovechkin arrives in Calgary with 899 career points. He’s poised to become the first player in Washington history to hit the 900- point milestone ( all with the Caps) ... He’s now six points shy of passing Sergei Fedorov ( 478 goals and 421 assists) for first place among Russian- born players in career NHL goals ... In his 763 appearances, Ovechkin, 30, has also rustled up 478 goals, leaving him shy of C Sergei Fedorov’s goalscoring record for Russian- born players, 483 ... He has scored 238 times on the road, 240 times at home ... In 10 games against the Flames, Ovechkin has picked up 17 points, including eight goals ... In five visits to the Saddledome, he has six points.
Nicklas Backstrom
3. ABOUT THE CAPS Washington is 3- 1- 0 — but Tuesday marks its first road date of the season ... C Nicklas Backstrom, in his 2015- 16 debut ( after recovering from off- season arthroscopic hip surgery), picked up three points in Saturday’s 4- 1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. “That’s how special he is,” coach Barry Trotz said. “When you watch a guy who hasn’t played any exhibition games, and he comes into — a fast game against a fast team and he looked like he never missed a beat. You realize how good he is once he’s back in the lineup and what he does for our lineup.” Backstrom, by the way, paced the NHL with 60 helpers last season ... Newcomer T. J. Oshie has two goal and two assists in four games ... D John Carlson leads the team with two goals and three assists.
Sean Monahan
4. WHEN LAST THEY MET Nov. 4, 2014, the Flames edged the home- ice Caps in overtime, 4- 3, with C Sean Monahan doing the golden- goal honours. C Markus Granlund potted equalizer with five minutes remaining in regulation, while G Jonas Hiller picked up the dubya, blocking all seven pucks delivered by LW Alex Ovechkin ... Their last meeting at the Dome was on Oct. 24 when the Capitals defeated the Flames 3- 1 ... Washington won the season series against the Flames in 2014- 15 posting a 1- 0- 1 record ... Tuesday marks the first of two meetings between the teams this season as the Capitals host the Flames at the Verizone Center on Nov. 13 ... The teams have split the last four meetings at the Saddledome.
Mark Giordano
5. ODDS AND ENDS D Mark Giordano, after Saturday, is minus- six on home ice. Only one player — Columbus D Jack Johnson and his minus-seven — is worse ... And only four players have worse ratings than C Sean Monahan’s overall minus- six ... At 25: 05, D Dennis Wideman’s average ice time is ninth- highest in the league. D Kris Russell, at 24.51, is 11th. Giordano is 19th, at 24: 03 ... Quote of the day came from Bob Hartley regarding his goaltending situation which is taking a lot of heat: “I’m sick and tired, to be honest with you, of the musical chairs. One has to make a statement somewhere. It’s plain and simple. You play OK as goalies, it’s not good enough. We’ve been singing the same tune for a short time ... being OK is just not good enough.”