BLUES (44-20-5) at FLAMES (38-26-5)
TV: FS-MW, SNW
Season series: Paul Stastny and Kevin Shattenkirk had three assists each in the St. Louis Blues' 4-1 win against the Calgary Flames on Oct. 11. Joakim Lindstrom, David Backes, Alex Pietrangelo and Vladimir Tarasenko scored for St. Louis, which received 23 saves from Brian Elliott.
Blues team scope: St. Louis had Monday off after starting a six-game, 10-day road trip with a 3-0 victory against the Dallas Stars on Sunday. The Blues have gone 11-2-1 away from home the past 14 games. Goalie Jake Allen's rookie-best fourth shutout of the season did not earn him a second consecutive start. Elliott will start against the Flames. The Blues' penalty kill has killed off 29 of the past 30 against covering nine games. "We've had a little success here on the penalty kill," Pietrangelo said. "It's going to be important here down the stretch." Since losing all four games to the Flames in 2010-11, the Blues have won eight of 11 matchups (8-2-1).
Flames team scope: Calgary left wing Michael Ferland is expected to play, with center Drew Shore a healthy scratch. Goalie Jonas Hiller is the projected starter against the Blues. He made 35 saves in St. Louis on Oct. 11. Defenseman Douglas Murray, with the Flames on a tryout basis, skated again Monday. The Flames, who open a crucial five-game homestand, are competing with the Los Angeles Kings for third place in the Pacific Division. "We're having fun with our situation," coach Bob Hartley told the Flames website after practice Monday. "We're not getting rattled." Center Mikael Backlund, who has 21 points in 28 games since abdominal surgery, is on an eight-game point streak.
The Calgary Flames' playoff push could take a major step forward on a five-game homestand, and they should be riding plenty of confidence in their own building.
The problem is it begins Tuesday night against the St. Louis Blues, who have been even better on the road lately than the Flames have been at home.
Calgary (38-26-5) is 8-3-1 at home dating to Jan. 27, and the 17 points that have come from those games is the highest total in the Western Conference. St. Louis (44-20-5), however, is an NHL-best 11-2-1 on the road since Jan. 3.
"Talking about teams with no weaknesses, here's a team that can beat you in so many ways," Flames coach Bob Hartley told the team's official website. "The (T.J.) Oshie's, the (Vladimir) Tarasenko's ... then you look at the big boys size like (David) Backes and company. You look at their blueline, they move very well, they're big, they defend very good, their special teams are great."
Alexander Steen joined Tarasenko and Oshie with third-period goals in Sunday's 3-0 win over Dallas to begin a season-high six-game trip. Steen also had an assist to give him six points in five games after being shut out in the previous six.
The penalty kill came through with a 6-for-6 mark and improved to 29 for 30 over the last nine games, though Calgary is 7 for 23 (30.4 percent) on the power play over the past six.
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"Great job by the penalty kill all around," defenseman Alex Pietrangelo told the team's official website. "We used a lot of different personnel tonight, especially on short rest like we had today. We've had a little bit of success here on the penalty kill. It's going to be important going down the stretch."
Jake Allen earned the shutout, but Brian Elliott will face Calgary. Elliott made 23 saves in a 4-1 win over the Flames on Oct. 11, extending his winning streak in the series to four with a 1.00 goals-against average, but each of those games were in St. Louis.
The Blues are 7-1-1 in the last nine meetings with a 31-13 scoring advantage. Tarasenko scored in October and has three goals and two assists on a four-game point streak against the Flames. Kevin Shattenkirk had three assists and has 13 points in his last 12 in the series. It was Paul Stastny's first game in the series and he also had three assists, giving him 13 points in his last eight against Calgary.
The Flames had gone 5-0-1 prior to Saturday's 3-2 road loss to Stastny's former team, Colorado, and in contrast to their scoring problems against St. Louis, they've had plenty of production lately with an average of 4.14 goals over the last seven games.
Points leader Jiri Hudler (25 goals, 35 assists) was held without one Saturday after registering six goals and six assists in the previous six games. He's averaging a point a game in his last five against the Blues.
Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau also had six-game point streaks end but both have nine during the seven-game span. Monahan, the team leader with 27 goals, doesn't have a point in four career games against St. Louis.
Mikael Backlund had two assists to extend his point streak to eight games.
Karri Ramo faced Colorado and has a 1-1-0 record with a 4.12 GAA in his last three games. He's 0-1-1 with a 4.52 GAA against the Blues.
Jonas Hiller suffered the loss in October, though he's 7-1-0 with a 2.42 GAA when facing St. Louis in a home role.
Sorry but my inner child got the best of me...