BATTLE READY
FLAMES’ BACKLUND FACES STERN TEST AGAINST BRUINS
It’s been a tough week for Mikael Backlund, who has missed two practices for maintenance. The Flames’ second-line centre was skating on Tuesday, which is a good indication he’ll be ready to go against the Bruins when Calgary hosts Boston on Wednesday night.
This will be the ultimate test for Backlund, going up against one of the best lines in the game: Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak.
Bergeron vs. Backlund should be an intriguing one-on-one battle as the two will likely go head-to-head for most of the evening.
Here are 5 Things to Watch for in Wednesday’s game:
MONAHAN OK
Bill Peters called Sean Monahan’s absence from Monday’s skate “precautionary” after the 24-year-old centre blocked a shot during Saturday’s game. He was back on the ice Tuesday. “I thought he bounced back real good,” Peters said. “The report on him was real good on him this morning and a day (off ) went a long way.”
TKACHUK BACK ON 3M LINE
During Tuesday’s skate, Peters had re-assembled the 3M line of Matthew Tkachuk, Backlund and Michael Frolik. This after playing Tkachuk on the top line for two periods Saturday against the Avalanche and healthy-scratching Frolik in Colorado. “We’ve got lots of options,” Peters said. “It wasn’t going our way (Saturday). Those changes we made gave us a little spark. We’ll see how we start and who is exactly available after (Tuesday).”
BRACING FOR BERGERON
No doubt whenever the Boston Bruins enter a building, teams brace for Bergeron, who is one of the best two-way centres in the game. And it’s why Peters still plans on tinkering with his lineup. “We’re at home, obviously, and we control the matchups,” he said. “But it’s going to be more than a matchup against the Bergeron line. They have at least two lines there that are going to play lots. We’re going to play guys that suit them best for their skill set.”
DUBE STATUS UNCERTAIN
While Dillon Dube skated on Monday (and missed Tuesday), the rookie centre might be questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Bruins. Dube had missed last Wednesday’s practice in St. Louis due to a lower body injury suffered during the Flames’ 3-0 win over the Predators. “He is (questionable) for me,” Peters said. “He blocked a shot and has had some issues with it since that have lingered. We’d rather it get cleaned up and move forward and get a little more healthier body than we have right now.”
SMITH STARTS
The Flames will go back to Mike Smith in net. David Rittich was between the pipes for a 24-save effort and his first win of the season on Saturday in Colorado as Calgary won 3-2 in overtime. Smith is 2-20 with a 3.57 goals-against average and .881 save percentage. The 36-year-old saw his best performance of the year in a 43-save shutout last Tuesday in Nashville, but was pulled two nights later in St. Louis after allowing five goals on 24 shots.