Flames at Flyers
The Calgary Flames made a pair of deals Monday at the trade deadline aimed at the team's future, but they received a jarring blow to the present upon learning that captain Mark Giordano will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a torn biceps tendon. The Flames, who are tied for third place in the Pacific Division, continued their seven-game road trip at the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday. Calgary has scored nine goals while dropping four of its last five (1-3-1).
The Flyers are teetering on the edge of the postseason picture, sitting six points behind Boston for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and four back of Florida. Philadelphia general manager Ron Hextall made one notable deal at the trade deadline, sending veteran Braydon Coburn to Tampa Bay in exchange for fellow defenseman Radko Gudas and first- and third-round picks in the 2015 draft. The Flyers have won three straight versus the Flames, although the road team has prevailed in six of the last seven meetings.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, RSW (Calgary), CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE FLAMES (33-25-4): Calgary traded a pair of forwards, sending veteran Curtis Glencross to Washington and former first-rounder Sven Baertschi to Vancouver for draft picks, but the big news centered around the loss of Giordano. Among the front-runners for the Norris Trophy, Giordano is tied for the team lead with a career-high 48 points and his loss leaves a gaping hole on the Flames' blue line. "The surgery we're talking about, it's 4-5 months," general manager Brad Treliving said. "It's devastating for all of us."
ABOUT THE FLYERS (27-25-11): Philadelphia received a nice return for Coburn, although Gudas underwent knee surgery in January and isn't expected back in time for the playoffs. Hextall said he resisted the temptation to "shred" his roster because the Flyers are still in contention for a postseason slot and said trading away Coburn will not impact those playoff hopes. The most important move may be the return of starting netminder Steve Mason, who had 34 saves in a 4-2 victory over the New York Rangers in his first start since having knee surgery.
OVERTIME
1. Flyers D Nicklas Grossmann (upper body) is doubtful for Tuesday's game.
2. The Flames claimed D David Schlemko off waivers from Dallas and placed Giordano on injured reserve.
3. Philadelphia signed LW Pierre-Edouard Bellemare to a two-year contract extension on Monday.