Flames at Canadiens
THE STORY: It has been 22 years since two Canadian teams met in the Stanley Cup final. The two teams involved in that series would be happy just to make the postseason this time around. Both sides already face their own uphill climbs as the Calgary Flames visit the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night. The Flames have looked like bottom feeders through the first two games this season, surrendering 10 goals while being outshot by a ridiculous 71-37 margin. While the defense remains a work in progress in Calgary, the Canadiens find themselves scrambling to fill their blue-line holes following injuries to Jaroslav Spacek and Chris Campoli. With star defenseman Andrei Markov still recovering from a knee injury and star forward Mike Cammalleri out with a lacerated leg, Montreal will be a shorthanded bunch Thursday and could be easy pickings for the Flames.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CBC, RDS
ABOUT THE FLAMES (0-2-0): Calgary is coming off a 5-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues in the opener of a three-game road trip. They'll finish up with stops in Montreal and Toronto, and will be looking to build momentum in those games before returning to Alberta for a six-game homestand. Forward Jarome Iginla will need to get going after a slow start. The Flames captain has one goal in two games and has taken just two shots on net.
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (1-1-0): Montreal put together a complete performance Sunday in a 5-1 rout of the Winnipeg Jets. Goaltender Carey Price has looked sharp so far, stopping 30 shots against the Jets and allowing just three goals over the first two games of the season. The Canadiens have plenty of opportunity to build some wins in the early going, with seven of their next eight games at home. Cammalleri and Spacek should return before month's end.
OVERTIME:
1. After going 28-8-3 when scoring first in 2010-11, the Flames are already 0-2-0 this year. Curtis Glencross has scored the opening goal for Calgary in both games.
2. Calgary has prevailed in four of the last five meetings between the teams, with the last two victories coming via shutout.
PREDICTION: Flames 5, Canadiens 4. Iginla has traditionally struggled against Montreal - scoring just nine goals in 25 career games - but should feast on a weakened Canadiens blue line. Give Calgary a narrow victory in this one.