Rangers at Flames
The Calgary Flames are beginning to find the magic that led them to a surprise trip to the Western Conference semifinals last season. The Flames look to complete a perfect five-game homestand and extend their winning streak at Scotiabank Saddledome to nine when they host the struggling New York Rangers on Saturday.
Calgary is three points out of third place in the Pacific Division after outscoring opponents 16-12 in the first four games of its homestand - including a 4-3 win over Buffalo on Thursday. The Rangers lost their second straight contest on their three-game trek to Western Canada on Friday, dropping a wild 7-5 decision at Edmonton in which they allowed the winning goal with 1:34 remaining in the third period. Henrik Lundqvist gave up five goals before being pulled as New York lost for the seventh time in nine games (2-6-1) after earning at least one point in 18 of its first 21 contests. The Rangers have dropped five of their last six games on the road.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, CBC (Calgary), MSG Plus (New York)
ABOUT THE RANGERS (18-9-3): Several players snapped out of scoring droughts Friday, but New York surrendered its most goals in game this season – two more than in a 5-1 loss to Montreal on Nov. 25. Rick Nash scored a goal and set up two others while leading scorer Mats Zuccarello and Chris Kreider each notched a tally and an assist after the trio combined for three points in the previous four games. Captain Ryan McDonagh, who came into the contest with a plus-12 rating, was minus-4 against Edmonton as the Rangers totaled 11 giveaways.
ABOUT THE FLAMES (12-14-2): Calgary’s two young stars have played a big role in its uprising as Johnny Gaudreau has scored five goals in his last four games while linemate Sean Monahan has registered seven points in his last four contests. “We’ve played together for a while now, so we read off each other,” Monahan told reporters. “He’s a skilled player, and when he has the puck, he wants to make plays, so you’ve got to get yourself open.” Third-leading scorer Jiri Hudler (17 points) missed the last game due to the flu and his status for Saturday is uncertain.
OVERTIME
1. The Rangers have won three straight in the series, including a 4-1 triumph in New York on Oct. 25, and six of the last seven.
2. Calgary's Jonas Hiller, who made 27 saves in the win over Buffalo, and fellow G Karri Ramo both were suffering from flu-like symptoms Thursday.
3. New York C Derick Brassard scored a pair of goals Friday and has recorded five in his last six contests.