New York Rangers at Calgary Flames: The Matchup of Hot and Calgary
Time: 9 p.m.
Location: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Tonight the Rangers will take on the Calgary Flames in the third and final game of this Western Conference road trip. The Rangers have been red hot of late, winning 3 straight and 7 of their last ten. The Flames, on the other hand, have hit a wall after a promising start. The Flames have lost 8 straight games all in regulation, which means they have not collected a point in a tough western conference where every win is crucial. This will be a matchup on hot and cold in the Saddledome.
The Flames will face the Rangers with a 17-13-2 record good for 36 points. The Flames top players of Sean Monahan, Jiri Hudler, Johnny Gaudreau,and TJ Brodie are mainstays to come on this young team. The main strength of this team has to be defense. The Flames have one of the top defenses in the league with Mark Giordano leading the team as captain. Offensive threats Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau have supplied much of the offense for a youthful team.
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The Rangers will continue to be without forward Derrick Brassard as he continues to battle the mumps, but his replacement will be chosen by coach Alain Vingeault. AV can pick from Oscar Lindberg, Tanner Glass, and Chris Mueller as center replacements for Brassard. Vingeault has said that he would want to keep JT Miller on the wing, as he has been successful as a winger.
On a positive note, Rick Nash is still scorching hot right now while he continues his dominant stretch during a 10 game point streak. Nash and Mats Zuccarello have teamed up to provide much of the team’s offense during this span. The recent burning hot touch found by the defensemen has also been a pleasant surprise, as Marc Staal, Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi, and Kevin Klein have all contributed huge goals during the win streak. The Rangers will look to extend their win steak to 4 games and head back east to face the Carolina Hurricanes.
Key Players
Rangers: Mats Zuccarello, Forward- Zucc has been scoring goals one after another and it seems that no one can stop him when he finds the open space. Zuccarello has been able to use his size to slip past defenders and drive the net to score easy tap ins. Zuccarello has also been a key distributor. His goal scoring ability give defenses headaches when attempting to cover him, as well as his teammates. Expect a two point performance for ZUUUUUUUC, as he contributes to another Rangers win.
Calgary Flames: Johnny Gaudreau, Forward- The young sensation in Calgary is stealing the show as Gaudreau, better known as Johnny Hockey, will look to help his team rebound and get off the losing shnid. Gaudreau is considered as the Flames best offensive prospect and he has proven it with 6 goals and 17 assists. Gaudreau will have to do a lot, along with one of the leagues best defenses, to stop a prevailing Rangers team.
Predictions
In a game between the Flames and a team that is on fire, the Rangers will look to dominate all aspects of the game. The Rangers will want to continue their recent success by developing three on ones, but by also developing a better power play when given large leads. This will most likely be a good game as the Rangers will come out on top 3-2 in Calgary.