Canucks at Flames
THE STORY: Extra time has paid off handsomely for the Vancouver Canucks of late. They'll look to polish off a perfect four-game road swing as they visit the Calgary Flames in Saturday's finale of Hockey Day in Canada. The Canucks have already racked up wins in Colorado, Nashville and Minnesota, with two of those coming via shootout. Vancouver has gone to extra time in seven of its last 10 games overall, winning five of them. The Flames have dropped four of six to slip to 12th in the Western Conference.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, CBC
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (34-15-5): Close games have become the norm for Vancouver, with one-goal decisions making up nine of its last 10 outings. With their recent run of success, the Canucks have improved to 16-7-5 in one-goal games, good for eighth in the NHL. Their last game was a little easier as they needed just three periods to dispatch the Wild 5-2 on Thursday. "I'm used to the 65-minute games, but I could get used to this," defenseman Kevin Bieksa joked.
ABOUT THE FLAMES (25-22-8): Calgary settled for single points in extra-time losses to Anaheim and Phoenix, earning four of a possible six points on its three-game road swing. Saturday night marks the opener of a pivotal stretch that will see the Flames play six of their next eight games at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary has one of the most home-heavy schedules the rest of the way, with 17 of its final 27 games played in its own building.
OVERTIME:
1. Vancouver has prevailed in two of three meetings this season.
2. The Flames are 3-0-3 away from Calgary since dropping an embarrassing 9-0 decision to the Boston Bruins on Jan. 5.
3. Calgary F Olli Jokinen has five goals and three assists during a five-game points streak.