Rinne aims to stop old buddy Neal as Flames host Preds
The man they call “The Real Deal” is set to square off with one of his old pals for the second time in two weeks.
New Calgary Flames acquisition James Neal is looking for his first goal at Scotiabank Saddledome, while Pekka Rinne, one of the goaltenders Neal shot on in practice for three years when he was a Nashville Predator, is searching to keep his sterling statistics intact.
Rinne owns a 3-1-0 record with a 1.75 goals-against average and .943 save percentage. Neal, meanwhile, has a goal and an assist in six games and the Saddledome fans would desperately love to see him score at home. Here are five things to watch for when Calgary hosts Nashville on Friday night:
1.
Day off
The Flames took an unexpected day off on Thursday following a hard-earned 5-2 win over Boston. It was their second victory in a row and a formidable performance that saw Michael Frolik score twice, Johnny Gaudreau net his 100th NHL marker, Juuso Valimaki snipe his first NHL goal and Matthew Tkachuk add an empty netter. A solid home victory, which is Calgary’s second of the season. Even though they have played only two home games, they’re en route to improving their record at the Dome.
2.
Dube back in?
Bill Peters sounded confident that Dillon Dube was going to draw back into the lineup, depending on how his maintenance days went. The 20-year-old rookie forward took Tuesday off and was kept out of Wednesday’s game. Dube blocked a shot last week against the Predators and has been healing a deep black-blue-and-purple bruise on his leg.
3.
These guys again?
On Oct. 9 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Flames goalie Mike Smith had a 43-save shutout as the Flames beat the Predators 3-0. Their three-game season series will wrap up when the Predators come back to town Dec. 8.
4.
More on the Preds
Since the loss to Calgary, Nashville has won three straight games … LW Filip Forsberg leads the Preds with four goals on top of his two assists … C Ryan Johansen also has six points (one goal, five assists) … It’s a quick trip for the men from Music City, who are in Calgary Friday and Edmonton Saturday and then back home to Bridgestone Arena … Before Thursday’s games, the Predators were sitting fourth in the NHL with only 12 goals allowed through six games this season.
5.
This ’n’ that
Heading into Thursday’s action, the Flames led the league with 11 third-period goals … Also, no team had more power-play opportunities than the Flames’ 29, but with only five tallies to show for it, there’s room for improvement. “We have a lot of work to do, in my opinion,” said Flames head coach Bill Peters after Wednesday’s contest, which saw them go 0-for-4. “The power play was bogged down a bit … we have to look at the structure of the five-on-three. We’re not going to keep doing the same thing if we’re not going to get results.”