(SportsNetwork.com) – The struggling Calgary Flames hope to pick up just their
second win in six games when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers for Tuesday’s
battle at Wells Fargo Center.
Calgary’s 1-3-1 record over its last five games is not helping the club’s
chances in a heated race for a playoff spot out West, and Bob Hartley’s team
will try to get back on track tonight.
The Flames are currently in playoff position with 70 points, but enter Tuesday
tied with the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks in both the Pacific
Division and Western Conference playoff standings. Calgary currently holds
tiebreakers over the Kings and Sharks, who both are three points behind
Minnesota for the last wild card spot in the West.
Making matters worse for Calgary, the team will have to make the remainder of
its playoff run without the services of captain Mark Giordano, who is arguably
the club’s most important player.
Giordano missed Friday’s game against the Islanders due to an upper-body
injury and on Monday the team announced the All-Star defenseman will miss the
remainder of the season with a torn biceps. It’s a huge blow for the Flames’
playoff chances, as Giordano is tied for second among NHL defensemen with 48
points and was averaging over 25 minutes a night for Calgary. He also was tied
with forward Jiri Hudler for the team lead in points.
The Flames did not try and replace Giordano before Monday’s trade deadline.
Instead, the club acquired a pair of draft picks for forward Curtis Glencross
in a deal with Washington on Sunday and flipped forward Sven Baertschi to
Vancouver for a second-round selection on Monday.
Calgary is 1-2-0 at the start of a seven-game road trip and coming off
Friday’s 2-1 loss to the Islanders. The Flames scored their lone goal of the
contest with just under 21 seconds left in regulation, a little more than 21
ticks after Cal Clutterbuck record an empty-net tally to give the Isles a 2-0
advantage.
New York netminder Jaroslav Halak was denied a shutout when Josh Jooris scored
with 20.9 seconds left to play. Karri Ramo was the tough-luck loser for the
Flames, stopping 37-of-38 chances in a strong effort between the pipes.
“You’re not going to win too many games not scoring until the last minute of
the game,” Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman remarked.
The Flames allowed Ryan Strome to score a power-play marker with 8:21 left in
the first period. It marked the first time Calgary surrendered a goal on the
power play since Jan. 27 against Buffalo.
The loss dropped the Flames to 16-13-1 as the visiting team this season.
The Flyers, meanwhile, traded away veteran defensemen Braydon Coburn and Kimmo
Timonen in separate deals over the last few days, but will try to help their
slim playoff chances tonight.
Timonen, who did not play this season for the Flyers due to blood clot issues,
went to Chicago on Friday for a 2015 second-round draft pick and a conditional
fourth-rounder in 2016. Coburn was dealt to Tampa early Monday morning for
defenseman Radko Gudas and pair of picks in 2015 — a first-round choice and a
third-rounder.
Gudas, 24, has been sidelined since early January after having surgery on his
right knee.
Philadelphia hopes to build off a win Saturday against the visiting New York
Rangers. The playoff-hopeful Flyers posted a 4-2 decision to halt a two-game
losing streak.
In his first start since Feb. 8, Steve Mason made 34 saves to lead the Flyers
past the Rangers. Mason made 16 of those saves in the third period for Philly,
which enters Tuesday six points out of a postseason berth in the East.
Mason did some of his best work late in the third period as the Rangers were
buzzing around the Philadelphia goal with around seven minutes left. Mason was
up to the task, as he stretched out his left pad to get enough of Rick Nash’s
shot from the side of the net. It was just one of a few attempts in a
sustained flurry by New York.
“They were more like desperation saves,” Mason said of the sequence. “I’m not
sure if I can remember all seven of them, but there was a big one on Rick Nash
where I came across with my left skate. That was a good test for the knee
there.”
Matt Read, Michael Raffl and Wayne Simmonds scored goals for the Flyers, and
the winner came early in the third period when Michael Del Zotto scored short-
handed.
Philadelphia has won three straight at Wells Fargo Center and is playing the
middle part of a three-game homestand tonight. The Flyers, who are 18-8-5 as
the host, will complete the stay in South Philly when St. Louis visits on
Thursday.
The Flyers have won three straight against Calgary and have gained a point in
each of the last five encounters, going 4-0-1 against the Flames during that
stretch. Calgary has won four times in its last six trips to Philadelphia, but
the Flyers recorded a 2-1 home victory when the clubs last met on Feb. 8 of
last season.
The Flames and Flyers will complete their 2014-15 season series on March 19 in
Calgary.
Calgary forward Johnny Gaudreau, a native of nearby Carney’s Point, New
Jersey, is playing his first NHL game in Philadelphia. The rookie has 15 goals
and 44 points in 61 games and is a leading candidate for the Calder Memorial
Trophy.
