Wild at Flames
Battle of Calgarian goaltenders?
Minnesota Wild (11-8-3) at Calgary Flames (11-13-2), 7 p.m., Sportsnet West, Sportsnet 960 The Fan
WHO TO WATCH — FLAMES
G Chad Johnson
Chad Johnson is the talk of the town right now. The 30-year-old Calgarian gave the Flames a chance to win Wednesday, although that’s not completely the reason they were able to dispatch the Leafs 3-0. Improving to 8-4-0-1, his goals-against average is a tidy 2.06 and save percentage is .930. He’s making a strong case to be the Flames permanent No. 1 netminder, but management is just letting him do his thing. Calm, cool and collected, nothing seems to faze Johnson. Outside of the team-wide stinker in Philly, he’s been excellent every time the Flames have called on him.
WHO TO WATCH — WILD
G Devan Dubnyk
The Calgarian has been strong lately. With a 1.66 goals-against average and a .946 save percentage (and a league-leading four shutouts), Dubnyk is 9-6-2. He’s No. 2 in the NHL behind Tuukka Rask for goals-against average. No wonder his hot start was noted by Sports Illustrated. He looks stronger in each appearance. It’s always interesting to note his ascension, which started with the Coyotes in January 2015 and earned him a Vezina Trophy nomination at the season’s end. Between Dubnyk and Johnson, it could be a battle of Calgarian goaltenders. Their stories are similar in the sense they are coming into their own later in their careers.
The Flames have not lost in regulation when they hold the lead at the second intermission (8-0-1). … Calgary’s fourth home win of the year improved their home record to 4-7-0 and moved them into 28th in the NHL, from 29th. … Friday’s game is the second of a mini three-game homestand. The Anaheim Ducks come to town Sunday. … The Flames host their annual SuperSkills competition Saturday at 11:30 a.m. Categories featured: fastest skater, hardest shot, relay challenge, shooting accuracy, and king of the shootout. … Wednesday was originally scheduled as a day off in Calgary for the Wild. But after Tuesday’s 5-4 loss to the Canucks, they skated at the Corral. Easy to see why. The Wild have blown three leads in their past six games for losses. Minnesota head coach Bruce Boudreau told Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune the number of odd-man rushes they’ve allowed has been “ridiculous.” “If it slides and slides and slides, then it slides into a problem,” Boudreau said. “And then you have to fix it.” … The stingy Minnesotans are No. 2 in goals against per game (2.09) ... Injuries: Flames — LW Lance Bouma (shoulder) and LW Johnny Gaudreau (broken finger) are out; Wild — C Zac Dalpe (knee), Victor Bartley (torn triceps), and D Christian Folin (knee) are out.