Dousing Flames requires more goals, discipline
Vancouver, Calgary share identical records — and both are in need of wins
FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Boeser bounce back:
The Canucks are coming off a six-day break from a horrendous schedule and if anybody has the ammunition to get them going offensively, it's Brock Boeser. He has three goals and six points in the season series. His 16 goals rank 11th in the league and he's tied for the team lead in power-play goals with six.
2.
Flames can't flicker: A 5-1 home-ice loss to Winnipeg on Monday drove home the point that the playoffs are a mirage. Five losses in the past six games will do that. “We don't do a very good job of dealing with adversity,” Flames winger Matthew Tkachuk told Postmedia. “They (Jets) make it 1-1 and we let that trickle into the second.”
3. Boyd really buoyed:
After a seven-day mandatory COVID-19 quarantine in a hotel, waiver-wire claim Travis Boyd practised on a line with Tyler Motte and Brandon Sutter on Monday and was also on the second power-play unit in advance of his Canucks debut. He's an unrestricted free agent, but may figure into future roster plans.
4. Bench boss at a loss:
As expected, the Flames got a giant wake-up call when Darryl Sutter replaced the fired Geoff Ward. The no-nonsense bench boss put a premium on a total team game and the club responded with three straight wins. However, sustainability then became the biggest concern as Sutter seeks solutions.
5.
Lords of discipline? The Canucks have accumulated the second-most penalties. Alex Edler has the fourth-most infractions and Tyler Myers is tied for sixth. And Vancouver has been assessed the second-most bench infractions for too many men on the ice with eight. That's a bad trend for slim playoff aspirations.
PROJECTED FLAMES LINEUP
Forwards Matthew Tkachuk — Elias Lindholm — Andrew Mangiapane Johnny Gaudreau — Sean Monahan — Brett Ritchie Milan Lucic — Mikael Backlund — Sam Bennett Joakim Nordstrom — Derek Ryan — Josh Leivo Defence Mark Giordano — Rasmus Andersson Noah Hanifin — Chris Tanev Nikita Nesterov — Michael Stone Goalies Jacob Markstrom, David Rittich
PROJECTED CANUCKS LINEUP
Forwards Jimmy Vesey — J.T. Miller — Jake Virtanen Nils Hoglander — Bo Horvat — Brock Boeser Tyler Motte — Brandon Sutter — Travis Boyd Antoine Roussel — Tyler Graovac — Jayce Hawryluk Defence Alex Edler — Nate Schmidt Quinn Hughes — Travis Hamonic Jordie Benn — Tyler Myers Goalies Thatcher Demko, Braden Holtby
SPECIAL TEAMS
Flames: PP 20.5% (16th), PK 80.8% (11th)
Canucks: PP 19.8% (19th), PK
78.6% (15th)
SICK BAY
Flames: Tyler Parsons (IR) Canucks: Elias Pettersson (LTIR), Tanner Pearson (IR), Jay Beagle (LTIR), Justin Bailey (LTIR), Micheal Ferland (LTIR)
Ben Kuzma