Coyotes at Flames
After enjoying quite the November to remember, the Calgary Flames look to continue their success into December as they host the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday. Captain Mark Giordano led the upstart Flames to nine wins in 13 games in November and claimed the NHL's First Star of the Month honors in the process. The defensemen collected 16 points last month, including the game-winning goal in Calgary's 5-3 triumph over Arizona on Nov. 13 and an assist in the Flames' 3-0 victory over the Coyotes on Saturday.
"He's been unreal. It's not surprising, though," Calgary coach Bob Hartley said of Giordano. After suffering its third straight loss against the Flames, Arizona took out its frustrations on Alberta's other representative as rookie Tobias Rieder scored a pair of short-handed goals 58 seconds apart early in the second period to lift his team to a 5-2 win over Edmonton on Monday. Martin Erat and defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson each converted on the power play after Arizona failed to convert with the man advantage in its previous three games.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FSN Plus Arizona, RSN West (Calgary)
ABOUT THE COYOTES (10-12-3): Mikkel Boedker collected a goal and an assist on Monday, matching his point total from the previous six contests. Mike Smith snapped a seven-start losing streak versus Edmonton, although Devan Dubnyk is expected to get the nod on Tuesday. Dubnyk, who is 4-0-1 on the road and 5-1-1 overall, saw his four-start winning streak come to a halt following his 26-save performance versus Calgary.
ABOUT THE FLAMES (15-8-2): Karri Ramo, who was named the NHL's Third Star of the Week, recorded his fourth straight win and second consecutive shutout after making 26 saves versus the Coyotes. Ramo has been confirmed to start on Tuesday, but Hartley was doing his best to keep his expectations in check. "As much as we would like shutouts until the end of the year, his middle name's not 'plywood,'" Hartley said.
OVERTIME
1. Calgary RW Jiri Hudler scored a goal and set up two others against Arizona on Saturday, giving him five tallies and three assists in his last four games.
2. Arizona is 7-3-0 against Pacific Division rivals and 3-9-3 versus everyone else.
3. Flames C Matt Stajan returned to practice Monday after missing 14 games with a knee injury.