Facing a tipping point to their season, the struggling Calgary Flames are shuffling the decks as they prepare to play host to the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday in a New Year’s Eve clash.
In an attempt to ignite a couple of key struggling forwards, it appears Jonathan Huberdeau will line up alongside Elias Lindholm and Yegor Sharangovich, switching spots with Andrew Mangiapane.
Huberdeau, Calgary’s highest-paid player, has not scored a goal in 17 straight games and been held without a point in 12 consecutive games. Mangiapane, who would play on a line with Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman, has scored one goal in his past 17 games.
Mangiapane and Huberdeau are in prolonged slumps, and this is the latest attempt to find something that elevates Huberdeau’s offensive skills toward his 115-point season in 2021-22 with the Florida Panthers.
“Hopefully we can get something going together, get on the same page,” Huberdeau said. “These guys have been playing well, too, I think I can go in there and add a little offense.”
The Flames are coming off a 2-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday and have only three wins in their last nine games (3-4-2).
Because of the struggles, their playoff chances have taken a big hit. Huberdeau (who has four goals and 15 points in 35 games) and Mangiapane (a 35-goal scorer two seasons ago) getting on track would be a boon to Calgary’s chances.
“I feel comfortable there,” Mangiapane said of skating with Backlund and Coleman. “Obviously two smart players, so I’m happy to be back on that line and just kind of find my game again.”
The Flyers arrive in Calgary also following a 2-1 loss to the Kraken. Philadelphia surrendered a 1-0 third-period lead and dropped an overtime clash in Seattle on Friday. It followed a 4-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks the night before to kick off a four-game western road trip.
“In overtime, they get the bounce, but overall, it was a good effort,” said Travis Konecny, who scored Philadelphia’s lone goal Friday. “We’ll take the point. It’s a tough way to come in — back to back after the (holiday) break — so we’ll take it and move on.”
The Flyers, who have missed the playoffs three consecutive seasons, are right in the heart of an incredible battle for the second spot in the Metropolitan Division, but their hold has become a bit more tenuous with only one win in their last four outings.
They are choosing to see things the other way; the overtime loss gives the Flyers points in 12 of 13 games (8-1-4), likely why coach John Tortorella was not about to lament the blown lead.
“It’s just grind away and find a way to get a point,” said Tortorella, who became the first U.S.-born coach to reach 1,500 games. “You always want the other one, but I have no complaints about the effort.”
One battle to watch when the puck drops between the Flames and Flyers is the special teams. Both clubs are near the bottom of the league on the power play, yet near the top in penalty killing.
Moreover, both teams are tied with the St. Louis Blues atop the league with nine short-handed goals.
–Field Level Media
