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Calgary Flames vs Edmonton Oilers: 4 things to watch in tonight's tune-up |
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Follow me on Twitter @ToddCordell
A few things to watch when the Calgary Flames return to action against the Edmonton Oilers:
1) A goaltending duel. No, not between David Rittich and Mikko Koskinen(?) but rather Rittich and Cam Talbot. Geoff Ward has indicated he plans on going with the hot hand in the 1st round of the playoffs, which is understandable given how short the series could be. There’s not a lot of wiggle room. Rittich and Talbot are expected to share duties tonight, with this being the only game action they get prior to Winnipeg. I maintain Rittich should start, however, if he allows a few goals in ~30 minutes and looks like he hasn’t seen an NHL shot in a decade it’s safe to say he won’t get the nod in Game 1. This is a tune-up for most players but, based on Ward’s plan, it is anything but for the two goaltenders. A poor showing from either guy could very well sideline them for the rest of the season (if the other holds up).
2) Bubble players. Ward has yet to finalize his lineup for G1 against the Jets. He still has to make some decisions on the backend of the roster. In particular, with the forwards. There are a handful of players – Tobias Rieder, Zac Rinaldo, Austin Czarnik, Mark Jankowski, Buddy Robinson, etc. – duking it out for spots on the 4th line and it sounds like Ward will be paying close attention to them in this game. Standout showings, one way or the other, could be the deciding factor in who gets the first crack in the lineup.
3) Special teams. I think this exhibition contest being such a rivalry game could be beneficial. Obviously it’ll force players to ramp up the intensity and better prepare them for playoff hockey. This type of game could also lend itself to plenty of penalties, which just might be a good thing. You can practice special teams all you want but it’s not close to the same as game action. Mark Giordano isn’t going to blast 95 MPH shots in practice with an important teammate like Mikael Backlund in the lane. Rasmus Andersson isn’t going to bury Johnny Gaudreau in the corner while battling for a loose puck. There are a lot of differences between what the Flames simulated and what they’ll see tonight. With this being a rivalry game where the end result is rather inconsequential, I think we could see more penalties than we otherwise would. That could lead to plenty of opportunities to sharpen up on special teams against one of the league's best units.
4) Neutral zone defense. Headlined by Nik Ehlers and Blake Wheeler, the Winnipeg Jets have several forwards who can take the top off of a defense and attack with true speed through the NZ. It just so happens the Edmonton Oilers do too. Obviously Winnipeg doesn't have anybody like Connor McDavid but I think tonight's game will be a really good test run for Calgary's defense. In particular, I'll be watching the 2nd pairing. Travis Hamonic really struggled vs NZ speed over the last couple years. I think Rasmus Andersson is better equipped to deal with it and I look forward to seeing if he can stabilize that pairing alongside Noah Hanifin.
Puck drop is just after 10:30 eastern time. Let’s do this!
Numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com
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