Flames at Stars
The Calgary Flames quickly distanced themselves from a slow start out of the gate by hitting the fast track heading into the opener of a brief two-game road trip versus the Dallas Stars on Tuesday. After recording just five wins in their first 16 contests (5-10-1), the Flames have scorched the opposition with an 8-3-1 mark in their last 12 and gained confidence with an emphatic 8-3 shellacking of Anaheim on Sunday to cap a three-game homestand.
Less than three weeks removed from surgery on his broken finger, Johnny Gaudreau found the net 2:09 into the contest as Calgary scored more than three goals in a game for the first time since Oct. 28. "It's pretty amazing. Johnny's been out for what, 2 1/2, three weeks and hasn't lost a step," said Alex Chiasson, who did fine in his own right with a goal and two assists against the Ducks to increase his point total to six (three goals, three assists) in his last six games. Dallas saw 13 goals go into its own net during the first three contests of a four-game road trip before Kari Lehtonen salvaged the finale by turning aside all 23 shots he faced in a 3-0 victory over cellar-dwelling Colorado on Saturday. The 33-year-old Finn registered his 35th career shutout and first this season and carries an 11-5-2 career mark versus Calgary, against which he made 29 saves in a 4-2 win on Nov. 10.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, SNF (Calgary), FSN Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE FLAMES (13-13-2): Chad Johnson has wrested starting duties away from Brian Elliott and is expected to be in net on Tuesday. Buoyed by Sunday's offensive explosion, the 30-year-old Johnson has yielded just 17 goals en route to posting an an 8-2-0 mark with three shutouts in his last 10 games. Center Sean Monahan, who set up a goal in the previous meeting with Dallas, collected a goal and an assist versus the Ducks to increase his point total to five (two goals, three assists) in his last four games.
ABOUT THE STARS (10-10-6): Captain Jamie Benn is heating up with seven points (three goals, four assists) in his last eight games and faces a Calgary squad against which he tallied twice last month. The 27-year-old Benn has doused the Flames for 15 goals and 28 points in 24 career encounters and fellow forward Tyler Seguin has 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 12 career meetings. Seguin scored a goal for the second straight contest on Saturday to extend his point streak to four games (two goals, three assists), although only one of his nine goals this season have come at home.
OVERTIME
1. Gaudreau scored twice versus the Stars in the first meeting last month and has seven points (five goals, two assists) in as many career encounters.
2. Dallas owns a 4-1-2 mark against Pacific Division representatives.
3. Calgary RW Kris Versteeg has six points (two goals, four assists) in his last six games.