Flames at Lightning
The Calgary Flames have pushed their way back into serious playoff contention with four straight wins and look to continue that trend when they begin a three-game, four-day stretch at the NHL-best Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. The Flames have won four straight one-goal decisions after defenseman Dougie Hamilton’s overtime tally gave them a 3-2 victory at Minnesota on Tuesday.
“These last 40-some games are extremely important, and we’ve put ourselves in a good spot to push to make playoffs here,” Calgary right wing Johnny Gaudreau, who was named to the All-Star Game on Wednesday, told reporters. “If we keep playing the way we’ve been playing the last few games here, we can go (through) the road trip and into the (upcoming) break feeling pretty good about ourselves.” The task will be a tough one against the Lightning, who have earned points in 18 of their 21 games at home this season (17-3-1) after edging visiting Carolina 5-4 on Tuesday. Tampa Bay Nikita Kucherov leads the league with 60 points, but fellow forward Tyler Johnson has been a major factor of late while putting up 12 goals and 11 assists with a plus-18 in his last 17 games after scoring a hat trick Tuesday. “We made a switch with lines and I’ve found chemistry to (Brayden) Point and (Ondrej) Palat,” Johnson said. “Things have just kind of taken off and it’s really fun playing with those guys.”
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, TVA, Sportsnet West (Calgary), FS Sun (Tampa Bay)
ABOUT THE FLAMES (22-16-4): Goaltender Mike Smith, who spent parts of four seasons with Tampa Bay, has not allowed more than three goals in the last 12 games and stopped 33 of 35 shots in Tuesday’s victory. “I don’t think we’re in these games if it’s not for him,” Hamilton told reporters of Smith, who owns a .921 save percentage overall. “He played great again (Tuesday). … We just have to keep rolling.” Gaudreau has put up eight assists during the winning streak and tops the team with 49 points - 10 more than Sean Monahan, who boasts three goals to go along with four assists in the last four games.
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (31-9-3): Defenseman Victor Hedman recorded 16 of his 33 points in the last 14 games and boasts a plus-22 rating since Dec. 1 to be named to the All-Star Game along with Kucherov, captain Steven Stamkos and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy (NHL-best 27 wins). Kucherov, who shares the NHL lead with Alex Ovechkin at 27 goals, has built a four-game point streak and Stamkos owns three assists in that span to push his season total to a team-high 35. Defenseman Daniel Girardi is day-to-day after sitting out Tuesday with a neck injury he sustained blocking a shot in the win at Detroit on Sunday.
OVERTIME
1. The Lightning have not enjoyed a power play in the last two games and are 4-for-33 with the man advantage over the past 10 contests.
2. Calgary LW Micheal Ferland has posted a goal and an assist in each of his last three contests.
3. The Flames won 3-2 in their last visit to Tampa Bay in 2016-17 with three points from Hamilton (goal, two assists).