The Calgary Flames get another chance to keep climbing out of their early-season hole Sunday night, and this one comes against a Philadelphia Flyers team still searching for any kind of steady footing.
Calgary enters the game at 7-9-1 with 15 points after opening the homestand with a tight loss to Anaheim. Philadelphia comes in at 4-10-4 with 12 points, and both clubs have spent much of the season trying to shake off rough starts. The difference lately is that the Flames have looked more settled over their last five games, while the Flyers are still chasing rhythm.
Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. Alberta Time on Sportsnet West and QR Calgary.
For Calgary, this is the 10th game in 18 days, a grind that has tested the group but hasn’t knocked it off course. The Flames have put together some solid hockey through the stretch, and the list of truly poor outings has been short.
The bigger issue has been offense at five-on-five. Their power play has been better than expected, but they need more production across the board at even strength.
Devin Cooley is expected to get the start in goal, with Dustin Wolf backing him up. Brayden Pachal and Maxim Tsyplakov are the projected extras, and Brennan Othmann remains day-to-day, though he did take part in Sunday morning skate. Pachal was recalled from the Wranglers on Sunday, but he is not expected to dress.
Daily Faceoff’s projected Flames lines have Aydar Suniev with Morgan Frost and Yegor Sharangovich on the top unit, followed by Joel Farabee, Mikael Backlund and Matt Coronato. Matvei Gridin is listed with Martin Pospisil and Ryan Strome, while William Stromgren, Jonathan Castagna and Adam Klapka make up the fourth line. On defense, the pairings are Joel Hanley with Simon Nemec, Jake Middleton with Zach Whitecloud, and Yan Kuznetsov with Zayne Parekh.
Philadelphia’s projected lineup features Tyson Foerster, Christian Dvorak and Travis Konecny on the first line, with Porter Martone, Noah Cates and Matvei Michkov behind them. Trevor Zegras is slotted next to Cole Knuble and Owen Tippett, while Denver Barkey, Sean Couturier and Noel Acciari round out the forward group. The defense pairs are Travis Sanheim with Jamie Drysdale, Cam York with Oliver Bonk, and Nick Seeler with Simon Benoit.
Dan Vladar is projected to start in net for the Flyers, backed up by Joseph Woll. David Jiricek and Michael Bunting are listed as the projected extras. It would be Vladar’s first start against Calgary.
The Flyers nearly had a win on Thursday before a third-period penalty by Denver Barkey opened the door. The Rangers tied it on the power play, then scored the go-ahead goal just a minute and a half later. That kind of late-game swing has been a theme for Philadelphia, which has had trouble closing out key moments.
Their season opened with nine straight games without a win, including an 0-6-3 start. They then put together a three-game winning streak, but the momentum hasn’t lasted. More recently, they’ve gone 1-4-1 in their last six.
Calgary remains without Jonathan Huberdeau, Sam Honzek, Brennan Othmann and Kevin Bahl. Philadelphia is missing Nikita Grebenkin and Rasmus Ristolainen.
The numbers tell the story of two teams trying to climb. Calgary’s 52.6 xGF% ranks 11th, while Philadelphia sits at 44.3 and 28th.
The Flames’ power play has been a strength at 30.0 percent, good for fourth in the league, while the Flyers are at 16.4 percent and 27th. Calgary’s penalty kill sits at 83.0 percent, ninth overall, and Philadelphia’s is at 80.0 percent, 12th.
This is the first meeting between the teams this season. They’ll wrap up the season series in December.
In Other News...
Devin Cooley Is Giving Flames Fans A New Subplot To Watch
Devin Cooley has found himself with an unexpected little spotlight beyond the Flames crease, and its creating a fresh subplot for Calgary fans to follow. After his motivational comments about the unique pressures goalies face started making the rounds, the Calgary netminder saw the reaction extend well past his own locker room, with Pittsburgh rookie Sergei Murashov publicly thanking him for the perspective.
Cooley said he appreciated the shoutout and noted that the response has not stopped there, with other goalies also reaching out since the remarks went viral. He has backed up the attention with solid play this season, and now there is at least a chance the story gets another chapter if he and Murashov cross paths when the Flames and Penguins meet again. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Suddenly Have A Blue Line Decision They Can't Rush
Kevin Bahls injury has left the Flames staring at a blue-line problem they did not want to be dealing with this early, and it is one that cant be solved by simply forcing a move. The loss of a defenseman for the season after Achilles surgery changes the conversation in a hurry, especially for a Calgary team that still has to think carefully about how it wants to build out its back end rather than just react to the first available option.
Craig Conroy now has to weigh whether the answer comes from a young defenseman already in the system or from a short-term addition that actually fits the timeline. The temptation to patch the hole is obvious, but the Flames do not sound inclined to make a trade just for the sake of filling space, which leaves the next step on defense very much unresolved as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Blue Line Loss Leaves Craig Conroy Facing A Tough Choice
Kevin Bahls absence has left the Flames with a hole on the blue line that is hard to ignore, and it has put Craig Conroy in a spot every general manager knows well: address the need now, or trust the group already in the room. Bahl had become a meaningful part of Calgarys defensive mix, so losing him for the rest of the season changes the shape of the back end and forces the club to weigh its options with a little more urgency than it would have liked.
What makes this decision tricky is the kind of move Calgary is likely to consider. The market does not always hand out clean fixes, and the Flames have to think about more than just plugging a gap for a few weeks. A young defender or a shorter-term addition could make more sense than a pure rental, but whichever direction Conroy chooses, the loss of Bahl has turned a manageable situation into one that now demands a careful answer. [Read more 🡒]