Plenty of reasons to be nervous as a Flames fan heading into the latest round of the BofA. Calgary has dropped 2 straight games to bottom feeder opposition and have looked mighty vulnerable in the process. the big guns (Iginla, Huselius) were shut out in both games and Kipper has looked as mortal as ever. Possibly the only positive to be taken from the last two losses was the veritable explosion of scoring from the supporting cast, particularly in the match against the Islanders.
On the other hand, the Oilers have strung together a few wins recently and haven't looked too shabby doing it. Garon has usurped Roloson as the starter up in the Chuck and is providing the club with some better than average goaltending. The Oil aren't exactly deadly offense wise and their blueline still has some obvious flaws, but...they're probably playing as well as can be expected from a team with the that kind of roster. And that's been good enough to best the Flames in the New Year, as evidenced by the Coyotes and Islanders matches.
Roster notes - Nilson draws in for the 'still injured' Eric Nystrom, while Wayne Primeau has been excused due to a personal matter. No word on Aucoin, so I'll assume he's still nursing a sore groin.
Inside the Flames has the expected lines here. It'll be interesting to see if Lombardi fares better or worse with Nilson on his wing. This could be Marcus big (and only) chance to prove himself useful and work his way back into the regular rotation. If he can make the 3rd line less of a liability at ES, he will be a welcome addition.
Prediction - You can only shut-out Jarome for so long. 4-1 Flames. Iggy (X2), Phaneuf and Boyd for Calgary. Cogliano for the Oil.
Go Flames.
