Flames at Wild
Emotions could be running high when the Calgary Flames kick off a three-game road trip with a visit to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday afternoon -- the second matchup between the clubs in 10 days. The Wild dropped a 2-0 decision in that last meeting and also lost captain Mikko Koivu to injury when he was the recipient of a knee-on-knee hit by Flames captain Mark Giordano.
Koivu is a game-time decision to rejoin the lineup Saturday after sitting out the last three contests, but he quelled the notion of seeking payback against Giordano, who was suspended two games for the hit. “Obviously (I’ve) known him playing against him. I don’t think he meant to do that," Koivu said at Friday's practice. "Things happen quick trying to win every battle, every game. That’s part of the game. He texted me, apologized, move on." However, Minnesota defenseman Matt Dumba flattened Calgary's Mikael Backlund in the final minute of the contest and the Flames center was not in as forgiving a mood as Koivu. “I had my head down ... and I don’t know if he had to do that," said Backlund, who has been sidelined since. "I think it was an unnecessary play and it says a lot about the guy.”
TV: 1:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet West (Calgary), FS North, FS Wisconsin (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE WILD (17-12-2): If Koivu does return, he could be skating on a different line due to the success of Zach Parise, Nino Niederreiter and Charlie Coyle, who have erupted in lopsided wins over Montreal (7-1) and Florida (5-1) in the past two games. The line has combined for six goals and 11 points in the two romps, led by Niederreiter with three tallies and Parise with five points. "We're having fun, they're buzzing we're moving our feet, we're talking all the time and we're getting the results right now," Parise said. "I think the offensive zone (is) where we are supporting each other really well."
ABOUT THE FLAMES (20-10-2): Giordano returned to the lineup with a flourish, scoring a goal and collecting a pair of assists by setting up the tying and winning tallies in Calgary's stunning 6-5 overtime win over visiting Philadelphia on Wednesday night. Johnny Gaudreau provided the decisive tally 35 seconds into overtime to cap a three-point night after Calgary erased a two-goal deficit in the final two minutes of regulation, forcing the extra session on Sean Monahan's second tally of the game. The Flames improved to 6-1-0 in their last seven games, amassing 29 goals in the six victories.
OVERTIME
1. Gaudreau has five goals and 11 assists in the last nine games.
2. Parise has 13 goals and 21 points in 22 games versus the Flames.
3. Calgary has five players with at least 32 points.