Game Day: Canadiens vs Flames – Preview, Lines, Goalies, TV, Fantasy
Jordan Lambe
Pre-game Notes and Quotes
Michel Therrien on their loss last game: “We tried to be fancy, and it was really frustrating to see our team play that way, and we got what we deserved,”
Bob Hartley on TJ Brodie‘s first game back this season after suffering a broken hand in the preseason:”I felt that TJ Brodie was one of the best players on the ice,” coach said. “He was flying. It seemed like he never missed a beat.”
Max Pacioretty: “This shouldn’t happen to good teams. We’ve got to make sure that it doesn’t happen again. There’s not much to say other than that. We let our foot off the gas. We think we’re untouchable when we get up with a lead like that, but then we left our goalie stranded,”
These two teams won 1 game a piece against each other last season, and in both instances, the road team was the victor
While the Canadiens’ offense still sits atop of the NHL (with 39 goals), the Flames have no been so fortunate as their offense ranks as second last (with 20 goals).
On the defensive end, the Flames have allowed 40 goals against so far this season, with only Columbus ranking worse with 41. The Canadiens are 8th in his category, as they have allowed 21 goals.
The Canadiens will be playing their 3rd game in the last four nights.
Matchup
Scotiabank Sattledome, Calgary, AB. | October 30, 9:00 PM ET | TV: SNF, RDS, CITYM
2015-16 statistics
FLAMES
CANADIENS
5 (27th)
Points (League rank)
18 (1st)
2-7-1
Record
9-2-0
1-4-1
Home
5-2-0
1-3-1
Road
5-2-0
2-7-1
Last 10
8-2-0
2.00
G/G
3.54
4.00
GA/G
1.91
14.3
PP%
23.1
81.2
PK%
87.2
45.6
CF%*
52.6
51.0
CF60*
56.9
60.9
CA60*
51.2
*Advanced statistics: Score adjusted, even strength. CF%: Corsi for percentage of total CF60: Corsi For/60 minutes CA60: Corsi Against/60 minutes (via War on Ice)
Projected forward lines, defense pairings and goaltenders
Forwards
Colborne – Monahan – Hudler
Gaudreau – Bennett – Frolik
Raymond – Backlund – Jones
Grant – Stajan – Jooris
Lars Eller has only has 2 points in his last nine games, as the line that seemed to really click to start the season has now been broken up. While Eller and Galchenyuk are still on the second line, Alex Semin was a healthy scratch last game and was replaced on the second line by Brian Flynn. Eller does have 7 points in 9 games versus the Flames in his career and has fired 17 shots on net over his cold streak so he is due to break out soon. If your lineup isn’t full, start Eller tonight, but set your expectations low as he may only contribute a couple shots and hits.
Torey Mitchell is owned in 7 per cent of Yahoo fantasy leagues, and this is mainly due to his current hot streak of 4 goals in his last 5 games (on only 10 shots). He is on pace to get about 45 points this season, almost doubling his career high of 23. The 30 year old is not known for his offensive prowess, and it is very unlikely that he will continue to score anywhere near the pace he has been recently. In the meantime, if you are looking for someone to fill out your roster, you can ride this hot streak but don’t look to add Mitchell on your roster long-term.
In very deep fantasy hockey league, Joe Colborne is a player to watch. He was recently promoted to the top line in Calgary and even logged 19:46 in his last game versus the Senators. Still just 25 years old, and with a career high of 28 points, Colborne could top 40 points this season is he continues to play in the Flames’ top 6. Colborne is also a big contributor in the Hits department as he has registered 16 hits in only 5 games to start the season.
The top ranked offense in the league versus the second worse defense in the league so far this season spells out trouble for Joni Ortio. The numbers are stacked against Ortio for tonight’s game, and although the Canadiens’ offense hasn’t been as potent over the last two games, it is still a risk starting Ortio.
