The 17-10-6 Calgary Flames take on the 9-18-2 Ottawa Senators tonight at 7pm MST in what will be Calgary’s first game in five days. It will be interesting to take in the product on the ice.
There are a lot of variables to this game.
This era of the Flames has struggled when given time off. They also are coming off three developmental losses to a trio of contenders in the Panthers, Lightning and Hurricanes.
One would expect a strong performance from a team coming fresh off a dire reality check and given almost a week to practice and iron out the wrinkles.
Then there are the Ottawa Senators.
Woof.
If there is one thing that this season’s COVID circus has proven is that some teams are more equal than others. This is the second team-wide breakout the Ottawa Senators have had to play through.
Feel free to feel bad for their fanbase, but keep in mind that this team has had more playoff success than the Flames, Oilers and Leafs combined in the last ten years. Three rounds won, one trip to the Conference Finals — it’s been a good decade for Sens fans despite the lows. Go back twenty years and they’re still ahead. They’ve won ten playoff series in the last 20 years.
On top of this, they have a great core already. They pulled off this sequence of games in mid-December:
The silver lining of this season for Senators fans is that their COVID qualms being dismissed by the League will work in their favour; they will lock down a top ten pick this season despite having a very solid core of young players. A high pick (potentially a lottery winner) in a deep draft to compliment an already very well built roster going forward.
To go with all of this, they still have a cupboard full of prospects developing off the roster. Tyler Boucher (10th overall 2021), Ben Roger (49th 2021), Ridly Greig (28th 2020), Ruby Jarventie (33rd 2020)— all working their way towards an NHL role in the next few years. Ottawa has to be the best bet at bringing the Cup back to Canada this decade.
Apologies for going off on a tangent about the Senators, but you read the frustration of their fanbase all the time. You look back at the dividends paying off in a few years from now from this rebuild that the Senators are going through— zero pity. They’re going to be a powerhouse.
Projected lineup courtesy of Pat Steinberg (@Fan960Steinberg)
Gaudreau-Lindholm-Tkachuk
Coleman-Backlund-Pitlick
Mangiapane-Dube-Ritchie
Lucic-Monahan-Lewis
Hanifin-Andersson
Kylington-Tanev
Zadorov-Gudbranson
Markstrom
Vladar
Lines will be updated at warmups. Jacob Markstrom starts in net tonight. Daniel Vladar got the extra reps in shootout practice yesterday, so there was a chance he plays. Flames fans may remember his 4-0 shutout of the Senators when these two teams played each other on November 14th.
Erik Gudbranson and Zach Sanford don’t like each other
Fans may also remember
this spirited bout.
Will the bad blood between these two heavyweights continue? In the article
put out on the 10th, Zach Sanford was pointed out as a great potential addition to the Flames if they’re looking for role players on a playoff run. His combination of size and scoring ability could be of great utility to a playoff team. He is a UFA in the offseason and carries a two million dollar cap hit.
Hot Coles
UFA addition Blake Coleman appeared to have a fire lit under him from a trip to the Southeast United States to play two of his his former rivals along with his former team. His four points in four games are encouraging. Seven points in the 28 games prior is obviously not meeting the expectations of the organization, fanbase and himself after signing a 4.9x6 contract with the Flames in the offseason. Here’s hoping he keeps up his strong play.
Dube dwindling
With only two points in his last 13 outings— there has to at very least be some personal pressure on Dillon Dube to find his offensive touch.
Flames fans are well aware that he has the talent to produce more. His goal against the Lightning was scored on an individual effort only after going down 4-0 and having the Lightning back off on checking pressure. Now on a line with the road dominant Andrew Mangiapane and fresh returnee Brett Ritchie— something has to give.
The Flames’ record of 4-3-4 has to have management sweating. With a fully healthy squad— it’s hard to envision the Flames losing to a Senators team so extremely handicapped by injury and protocol. That said, anything can happen at the highest level of professional hockey.
Trevor Neufeld
Calgary Flames Blogger • 
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