COMING IN
The Flames ended a two-game goal drought with a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild while the Sharks beat the Phoenix Coyotes 3-2 Saturday.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Flames have claimed two of three against the Men in Teal this season.
SPECIAL TEAMS
POWERPLAY -- Calgary 18.4% (61-331, 18th); San Jose 24.1% (79-328, 3rd).
PENALTY KILLING -- Calgary 83.5% (5th); San Jose 83.9% (3rd).
INJURIES
CALGARY -- RW Andre Roy (wrist) is doubtful. RW Rene Bourque (ankle), C Wayne Primeau (foot), D Mark Giordano (shoulder) D Rhett Warrener (shoulder) are out.
SAN JOSE -- C Patrick Marleau (lower body), RW Jonathan Cheechoo (lower body), RW Mike Grier (knee), C Marcel Goc (leg), C Tomas Plihal (lower body), RW Claude Lemieux (jaw) are questionable. D Rob Blake (lower body), LW Ryane Clowe (lower body), D Kent Huskins (foot), C Torrey Mitchell (leg) are doubtful.
THREE STORYLINES TO WATCH
SLUMP BUSTERS -- Neither team has been its best in March, with the Sharks losing seven times in 14 tries -- twice in overtime -- and the Flames dropping eight of 14, all in regulation. The Sharks, however, have points in five of their last six, and the Flames ended a two-game slide Saturday night against the desperate Minnesota Wild. Both will be eager to carry momentum forward.
GOING FOR 44 -- Miikka Kiprusoff broke his own franchise record with a 43rd victory of the year Saturday and is expected to make yet another appearance -- his 71st of the season -- between the pipes tonight. If he has the kind of help from his teammates he received against the Wild, it's likely he'll add to his record total.
HIT PARADE -- Remember that massive lick Flames D Cory Sarich landed on Sharks captain Patrick Marleau in the playoffs last spring? That's the kind of play that can take the skilled Sharks out of the corners and give the Flames more room to use their own speed. Playing a physical game against the talented Fish will go a long way toward claiming a third straight game against them.
PLAYERS TO KEEP YOUR EYE ON ...
FLAMES
LW Eric Nystrom -- The fourth-line forward seems to score when it counts. Three of his five goals have been game-winners, and he didn't look out of place converting a great pass from captain Jarome Iginla into another one of those against the Wild after a pair of disallowed goals could have completely deflated the Flames in the second period. Don Cherry loves the hard-working winger, and so do his teammates.
SHARKS
RW Devin Setoguchi -- The Taber product had just one assist in 11 games before getting hot again. He's had at least a point in six straight (five goals, five assists) and had a pair of helpers against the Phoenix Coyotes Sunday as his four-game goal streak came to an end. The eighth-overall pick from 2005 has 30 goals and 63 points in 74 games. So much for the sophomore slump.
IT'S WORTH NOTING ...
Todd Bertuzzi has played two games since having knee surgery to clean up cartilage.
Despite an assist and plus-2 rating in his latest outing against the Minnesota Wild, he's not happy with his play just yet. "Me, no, not really," he said with a shrug after participating in an optional skate at the Saddledome yesterday along with less than a dozen teammates. "It takes a little time to get your game going. You can only skate so hard on your own. Hopefully, it starts coming around -- I get my hands back and can try to contribute a lot more."
SHARKS LIMPING
Patrick Marleau will be in Calgary, but likely won't play.
It's a banged-up -- although not quite toothless -- version of the San Jose Sharks making the trip. "Patty came in, got a treatment today and didn't skate," head coach Todd McLellan told the San Jose Mercury News after practice yesterday in San Jose. "Everybody reacts differently, and we'll see how he is in a couple of days." Marleau suffered a 'soft tissue' lower-body injury in a minor collision with Phoenix Coyotes forward Nigel Dawes late in the first period Saturday and left the game after three shifts in the second. McLellan doesn't expect him to dress in Edmonton later this week, either. Six of the nine injured players skated yesterday, and all will make the trip to Western Canada. Winger Jonathan Cheechoo and Tomas Plihal are close to returning.
Mike Grier, Marcel Goc, Claude Lemieux and Kent Huskins also skated.
ICE CHIPS
G Miikka Kiprusoff broke his own franchise record with his 43rd win Saturday night. The NHL record is 48 ... C Craig Conroy ranks 27th among forwards with 47 blocked shots to his credit ... LW Todd Bertuzzi's 61 giveaways rank him 22nd in the league ... LW Michael Cammalleri has no points in three games ... RW Jarome Iginla hasn't scored in six contests.
The Flames ended a two-game goal drought with a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild while the Sharks beat the Phoenix Coyotes 3-2 Saturday.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Flames have claimed two of three against the Men in Teal this season.
SPECIAL TEAMS
POWERPLAY -- Calgary 18.4% (61-331, 18th); San Jose 24.1% (79-328, 3rd).
PENALTY KILLING -- Calgary 83.5% (5th); San Jose 83.9% (3rd).
INJURIES
CALGARY -- RW Andre Roy (wrist) is doubtful. RW Rene Bourque (ankle), C Wayne Primeau (foot), D Mark Giordano (shoulder) D Rhett Warrener (shoulder) are out.
SAN JOSE -- C Patrick Marleau (lower body), RW Jonathan Cheechoo (lower body), RW Mike Grier (knee), C Marcel Goc (leg), C Tomas Plihal (lower body), RW Claude Lemieux (jaw) are questionable. D Rob Blake (lower body), LW Ryane Clowe (lower body), D Kent Huskins (foot), C Torrey Mitchell (leg) are doubtful.
THREE STORYLINES TO WATCH
SLUMP BUSTERS -- Neither team has been its best in March, with the Sharks losing seven times in 14 tries -- twice in overtime -- and the Flames dropping eight of 14, all in regulation. The Sharks, however, have points in five of their last six, and the Flames ended a two-game slide Saturday night against the desperate Minnesota Wild. Both will be eager to carry momentum forward.
GOING FOR 44 -- Miikka Kiprusoff broke his own franchise record with a 43rd victory of the year Saturday and is expected to make yet another appearance -- his 71st of the season -- between the pipes tonight. If he has the kind of help from his teammates he received against the Wild, it's likely he'll add to his record total.
HIT PARADE -- Remember that massive lick Flames D Cory Sarich landed on Sharks captain Patrick Marleau in the playoffs last spring? That's the kind of play that can take the skilled Sharks out of the corners and give the Flames more room to use their own speed. Playing a physical game against the talented Fish will go a long way toward claiming a third straight game against them.
PLAYERS TO KEEP YOUR EYE ON ...
FLAMES
LW Eric Nystrom -- The fourth-line forward seems to score when it counts. Three of his five goals have been game-winners, and he didn't look out of place converting a great pass from captain Jarome Iginla into another one of those against the Wild after a pair of disallowed goals could have completely deflated the Flames in the second period. Don Cherry loves the hard-working winger, and so do his teammates.
SHARKS
RW Devin Setoguchi -- The Taber product had just one assist in 11 games before getting hot again. He's had at least a point in six straight (five goals, five assists) and had a pair of helpers against the Phoenix Coyotes Sunday as his four-game goal streak came to an end. The eighth-overall pick from 2005 has 30 goals and 63 points in 74 games. So much for the sophomore slump.
IT'S WORTH NOTING ...
Todd Bertuzzi has played two games since having knee surgery to clean up cartilage.
Despite an assist and plus-2 rating in his latest outing against the Minnesota Wild, he's not happy with his play just yet. "Me, no, not really," he said with a shrug after participating in an optional skate at the Saddledome yesterday along with less than a dozen teammates. "It takes a little time to get your game going. You can only skate so hard on your own. Hopefully, it starts coming around -- I get my hands back and can try to contribute a lot more."
SHARKS LIMPING
Patrick Marleau will be in Calgary, but likely won't play.
It's a banged-up -- although not quite toothless -- version of the San Jose Sharks making the trip. "Patty came in, got a treatment today and didn't skate," head coach Todd McLellan told the San Jose Mercury News after practice yesterday in San Jose. "Everybody reacts differently, and we'll see how he is in a couple of days." Marleau suffered a 'soft tissue' lower-body injury in a minor collision with Phoenix Coyotes forward Nigel Dawes late in the first period Saturday and left the game after three shifts in the second. McLellan doesn't expect him to dress in Edmonton later this week, either. Six of the nine injured players skated yesterday, and all will make the trip to Western Canada. Winger Jonathan Cheechoo and Tomas Plihal are close to returning.
Mike Grier, Marcel Goc, Claude Lemieux and Kent Huskins also skated.
ICE CHIPS
G Miikka Kiprusoff broke his own franchise record with his 43rd win Saturday night. The NHL record is 48 ... C Craig Conroy ranks 27th among forwards with 47 blocked shots to his credit ... LW Todd Bertuzzi's 61 giveaways rank him 22nd in the league ... LW Michael Cammalleri has no points in three games ... RW Jarome Iginla hasn't scored in six contests.
