5 THINGS - FLAMES @ AVALANCHE
The Flames return to the Mile High City for another tilt with the West-leading Avs
Video: Brendan Parker sets up tonight's game
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GAME DAY VIDEO
Game Day with Brendan Parker
Pregame Interviews
GAME DAY FEATURES
Back in the Groove - Stone
Big Fight Feel
Say What - 'Have to Be Able to Match That'
Projected Lineup
STAT PACK
Media Game Notes
Scoring Leaders
Head-to-Head Stats
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Leading Scorers:
Flames:
Points - Johnny Gaudreau (78)
Goals - Elias Lindholm, (30)
Avalanche:
Points - Nazem Kadri (72)
Goals - Gabriel Landeskog (30)
Special Teams:
Flames:
PP - 23.8% (11th) / PK - 85.5% (3rd)
Avalanche:
PP - 23.1% (12th) / PK - 76.9% (21st)
Advanced Stats:
Flames:
Shot Attempts: 55.40% (2nd)
High-Danger Chances: 56.10% (3rd)
Avalanche:
Shot Attempts: 53.23% (7th)
High-Danger Chances: 51.54% (13th)
Remember waaaaaaaaay back to last night?
The Flames skated to a 3-0 victory over the Red Wings at the Scotiabank Saddledome, with Elias Lindholm, Tyler Toffoli and Blake Coleman scoring for the homeside, while Jacob Markstrom recorded his ninth shutout.
Lindholm's tally set a career high for him with 30 this season.
The Flames shelled Thomas Greiss and he kept his team in the game, but the homeside got two third-period goals to secure the W.
Calgary's special teams were excellent, going 2-3 on the powerplay and blanking Detroit on their two chances.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON THE WIN
The Avs, meanwhile should be an ornery bunch. They have had a few days to sit and stew about a 2-0 loss to the Hurricanes in Raleigh.
To make matters worse, they announced Sunday that captain and leading goal scorer Gabriel Landeskog is out indefinitely, slated for knee surgery Monday.
Defenceman Sam Girard is also sidelined for four weeks.
Ethan Bear scored the opener with a long-distance shot Thursday that beat Darcy Kuemper five-hole and Sebastian Aho iced it with a late empty-netter.
Colorado has now lost four of their last five but still sit atop the Western Conference (ahead of the second-place Flames) with a 41-13-5 record and a 23-3-3 mark at Ball Arena.
"I thought it was a well-played hockey game by both teams, highly competitive, lots of pace," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar told NHL.com's Kurt Dusterberg. "Not a lot of room to move"
A pair of Avs had point streaks snapped in the loss: Standout blueliner and Calgary native Cale Makar saw his 13-game run end, while forward Nathan MacKinnon had a 12-game streak halted.
Video: Condensed Game: Red Wings @ Flames
In a weird schedule peculiarity, these two teams play again in Denver for the second time in eight days.
And it's another one-and-done roadie to Colorado for the Flames, to boot.
This is the second of three meetings this season between the two clubs, and the first outing last weekend certainly set the bar high for this rematch.
The two teams traded blows all night in an incredibly fast game that showcased the skill and tenacity of both sides. Gabriel Landeskog opened the scoring just 42 second in, beating Dan Vladar.
Elias Lindholm would then score a pair in the opening frame, with an Avs tally from Andre Burakovsky sandwiched between them
Erik Gudbranson and MacKinnon added second-period markers and after a scoreless third, it was time for a some 3-on-3 OT.
Johnny Hockey iced it with a breakaway 37 seconds into extra time, thanks to a lovely bank pass off the boards from Lindholm after he had stripped the puck from Mikko Rantanen.
"It was a back-and-forth game," said Gaudreau after. "A lot of emotions. Some powerplay goals, good PK, even-strength goals ... We saw pretty much a little bit of everything. Just really proud of our team tonight."
The game was seen as a litmus test for the Flames by some and they passed with flying colours, going on to win two of three outings this week since.
"It's huge," said Lindholm. "Two good teams. Obviously, they have a really good record at home and we know it's going to be a tough one and obviously we came out on top. It was a good test for us and it was a good game."
Video: Condensed Game: Flames @ Avalanche
BACK-TO-BACK: The Flames are in the midst of their 11th back-to-back scenario of the season after last night's shutout win against the Red Wings. The Flames are 6-3-1 in the second game of a two-game set this season and will play two more back-to-back scenario's this month and five more this season. Calgary's last back-to-back was last week when they beat Edmonton on March 7 and lost to Washington on March 8.
MORE BACKS:Mikael Backlund will play his 803rd NHL game tonight, tying Al MacInnis for the fourth-most games played in Flames franchise history. Once Backlund passes MacInnis for games played, he will become the all-time leader in games played in franchise history by a player drafted by the club.
Flames - Tyler Toffoli
All he's done is put up points since arriving in Calgary via a trade with Montreal. His goal Saturday night gives him eight tallies and 13 points in 13 games wearing the Flaming C.
Video: DET@CGY: Toffoli sends a pass into the net for a PPG
Avalanche - Nathan MacKinnon
He's got speed, size, skill and smarts - the total package on a pair of skates. The flashy forward has 19 goals and 60 points in 44 games this season and with Gabriel Landeskog sidelined with an injury, there will be an even bigger onus on MacKinnon to provide offence for the Avs.
Since Feb. 1, the Flames are the hottest team in the NHL going 15-2-1 for 31 points while outscoring their opponents 76-41 for an average of 4.22 goals/game and 2.28 goals against/game. Calgary has a +64 goal differential this season for an average of 3.48 goals/game to 2.41 goals against/game.
