Flames at Coyotes
The Calgary Flames are ascending in the Pacific Division while the Arizona Coyotes have made themselves comfortable in the cellar right out of the chute. The streaking Flames vie for their fifth straight victory and 10th in 14 contests on Thursday, when they conclude a brief two-game road trip against slumping Arizona.
"For me, it's been three things," Calgary general manager Brad Treliving told reporters on Wednesday. "We're getting stops from our goalie (Chad Johnson), our top guys have been excellent and, in this little run we're on, I think our power play is top-10 in the league and our (penalty kill) is like fifth. It really is that simple." The Coyotes' problems are pretty simple as well, as their offense has eclipsed the two-goal plateau on just three occasions during their last 13 games (3-6-4) and mustered a total of seven goals during the current season high-tying five-game skid (0-3-2). "Playing in back-to-back games, we did not have the energy we needed to get back into the game," coach Dave Tippett told reporters after Tuesday's 4-0 loss to Chicago. "We do not make enough plays to get anything done, whether it is defensively or offensively."
TV: 9 p.m. ET, Sportsnet (Calgary), FSN Arizona
ABOUT THE FLAMES (14-13-2): To Treliving's point, Johnson has won nine of his last 11 starts - with a 20-save performance in a 2-1 triumph over Arizona on Nov. 16 included in the mix. The 30-year-old Saskatchwan native hasn't slowed down, yielding just six goals on 127 shots and picking up his third shutout of the season during Calgary's winning streak. Johnny Gaudreau has recorded two goals and four points in two contests since his return from a 10-game absence due to a broken pinkie.
ABOUT THE COYOTES (8-13-4): Anthony Duclair, who has scored just one goal in his sophomore season, is hoping that a brief rest is just what the doctor ordered to get his game back to a healthy status. "I'm starting from scratch now," the 21-year-old Duclair told AZCentral.com about how he felt after being scratched on Monday. "Obviously, it’s not ideal for me to sit down in the stands, and I don't want to do that again. So I gotta make sure that, like (Tippett) said, just putting the reset button on and just work hard every day." Duclair fared significantly better last season versus the Flames, collecting three goals and two assists in five games.
OVERTIME
1. Calgary RW Michael Frolik is looking for his first goal since tallying 49 seconds into overtime against Arizona on Nov. 16.
2. Coyotes RW Tobias Rieder netted his team's lone tally versus the Flames in the first contest and has two in his last four games.
3. Calgary has scored four power-play goals in its last three games but went 0-for-3 in the previous contest versus Arizona.