Thomas, Tkachuk ready for reunion in Calgary
For several weeks last spring, Calgary Flames left-winger Matthew Tkachuk and St. Louis Blues rookie centre Robert Thomas were competing for first dibs on dinner.
Thomas lived under the roof of Keith and Chantal Tkachuk in St. Louis during his inaugural season with the Blues. The house was a wee bit more crowded come midmay, after the Flames were eliminated and Matthew moved home for the summer.
Good friends and former teammates with the OHL’S London Knights, these guys could be seeing a lot of each other during a showdown tonight at Calgary’s Scotiabank Saddledome.
Thomas, 20, has been skating in a top-line role and notched the game-winner Wednesday in Edmonton, while the 21-year-old Tkachuk continues to mix shutdown duties and overtime dramatics.
Here are five things to watch for tonight when the Blues (11-3-3) line up against the Flames (10-7-2) in Calgary:
1.
That’s more like it
“I liked everybody, to be honest.” That’s high praise from a coach, and that’s precisely what Flames skipper Bill Peters told reporters after Thursday’s 5-2 win over New Jersey. The consensus in the locker-room was that they delivered their most complete performance of the season against the Devils.
2.
Bring on the champs
There have been no hints of a championship hangover for the Blues, who hung their first Stanley Cup banner in June. Conn Smythe Trophy-winning centre Ryan O’reilly, captain Alex Pietrangelo, sophomore puck-stopper Jordan Binnington and Co. are sitting atop the Western Conference standings with an 11-3-3 record and arrive in Calgary on a six-game win streak.
3.
Missing men
The Blues have a couple of bigname forwards on injured reserve. Vladimir Tarasenko, one of the NHL’S most dangerous marksmen, will miss most of the season after having reconstructive surgery on his shoulder.
There was more bad news this week, with Alex Steen — poised to hit the 1,000-game plateau this winter — suffering a high-ankle sprain that will keep him out for four weeks.
4.
Double digits?
Flames first-liner Elias Lindholm is currently riding a ninegame point streak, with five goals and six assists during that superb span. If the 24-year-old hits the scoresheet again today, he would equal the longest heater of his career. He’s twice cobbled together 10-game streaks. So far this season, only three NHL stars have stretched personal point streaks into double digits: David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Nathan Mackinnon.
5.
This n’ that
Flames forward Sam Bennett, tagged in the laces by Mark Giordano’s slapshot against the Devils, was a no-go for Friday’s practice, but Peters is hopeful he’ll be available … Blues newbie Jacob de la Rose, acquired Wednesday in a trade from the Detroit Red Wings, will debut for his new squad.