Neither team is in a do-or-die situation, but both sides know the importance of their meeting when the Vancouver Canucks visit the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night.
Even with more than one month remaining in the regular season, the clash is of utmost importance with Vancouver one point behind Calgary in the chase for the Western Conference’s second wild-card position. The Flames have one game in hand.
“It only gets more heated and bigger games. We’ve got to find a way,” Canucks forward Dakota Joshua said.
The team is coming off a 4-2 home loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. Vancouver has lost two straight games and has won only two of its last six outings.
Adding to the disappointment was how the Canucks feel they let an opportunity slip away against Montreal by falling behind 3-0 before falling short with their comeback attempt.
“We started solid, but they went up 3-0, and it’s a big hill to climb,” said Vancouver forward Elias Pettersson. “We can’t put ourselves in a position like that.”
The Canucks may receive a much-needed boost. Coach Rick Tocchet said captain Quinn Hughes, who leads the team in scoring with 60 points (14 goals, 46 assists), will travel with the team.
“A good possibility he could be in,” Tocchet said of the dynamic defenseman who has missed the last four games due to injury.
Regardless, the Canucks are well aware they must snap their losing streak soon and how much it would mean for that to happen against the Flames.
“It’s a team we’re battling against for a (playoff) spot. It’s a must-win for us,” Pettersson said. “You’ve got to reload, recharge, and be ready for it. It’s gonna be a tough one.”
Tocchet would not divulge whether he will start in goal Kevin Lankinen, even though he played against Montreal, or would turn to Arturs Silovs.
The Flames, meanwhile, are back in action for the first time since their 1-0 victory over the Canadiens on Saturday.
Calgary, which returned from a difficult six-game road trip and earned that win, has spent a few days preparing for Wednesday’s showdown with the wild-card position up for grabs.
“It’s exciting for everybody. Fans, players, everybody that’s involved in a playoff race knows that there’s going to be some nail-biters, and some entertainment, some fun games to watch,” forward Nazem Kadri said after practice on Tuesday. “So we’re looking forward to that.”
The Flames, who are 2-0-2 in their last four games, have won two of three meetings with Vancouver this season. Clashes with the Canucks have always had extra oomph, but this one is at another level.
“Every game is the big game for us, but what I do feel is cool, is there is some buzz around the city right now. I love it,” Flames coach Ryan Huska said. “I feel like because of that excitement, our building gets tougher and tougher for teams to come in and play against us. We have to find a way to use that to our advantage.”
That said, the key to victory will be not letting the moment become a hindrance.
“It’s important to stay poised and composed, just honestly treat it like it’s any other game,” Kadri said. “If you approach every game like it’s a big game, when those big games come, you’re going to be prepared for them.”
Expect Calgary to start rookie goaltender Dustin Wolf, who is coming off the shutout win over Montreal.
–Field Level Media
