The Chicago Blackhawks have a chance to make history on Saturday night: they can set a new road game losing streak record when they take on the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome.
The last time the Blackhawks saw the Flames, they beat them 4-3 just three weeks ago at the United Center, so there is hope the Blackhawks can pull off a victory and break the losing streak.
The good news for the Blackhawks is that the Flames aren’t exactly in the same caliber of opponents the former has been facing lately: they’re below average in goals (17th), shot attempt possession (17th), and expected goals share (19th), for example. As a result, Calgary sits just sixth in the Pacific Division, 24th in the league, and are riding their own losing streak of four games coming into Saturday, with the latest loss being 5-2 to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. So, the Flames are not exactly bad, but they’re definitely not good either. The main bright spot for the team from Alberta is that Jacob Markstrom is still putting up solid numbers with a .909 save percentage and 9.7 goals saved above expected (6th best among goalies who have played at least 20 games).
Still, the Flames do have some quality skaters who could contribute enough to break their losing streak. In the eight games since these two teams last met, there are three players who have been a point-per-game or better: Blake Coleman with 10 points (5 G, 5 A), Yegor Sharangovich with nine (8 G, 1 A), and Nazem Kadri with eight (3 G, 5 A). Elias Lindholm and Jonathan Huberdeau aren’t too far behind with six points each, though all of them are assists. Rookie Connor Zary has added two goals and two assists for a respectable 0.5 point-per-game pace over the same span, brining him to sixth in terms of PPG among rookies. Calgary also has three offensive defensemen who have been contributed from the back end in Noah Hanifin, MacKenzie Weegar, and Rasmus Andersson, all of whom have six points in their last eight games.
Calgary lines from the morning skate are below. Coleman didn’t take line rushes, but he is expected to play while Martin Pospisil will not. Coleman apparently hurt his hand blocking a shot against Columbus, but it’s not enough to keep out of the lineup. Markstrom will be in net.
Note that the Flames are also currently missing AJ Greer (fractured foot sustained in the Columbus game), Dillion Dube (leave of absence).
As for the Blackhawks, well: they’re still losing. Offense has been their biggest issue all season, but it’s at an all-time low lately, as they’ve only scored 14 goals in their last 10 games — easily the worst in the league — and just two goals in three games during this most recent road trip through the Northwest. To put that into perspective, the other teams in the bottom five in league standings have scored eight more goals (San Jose Sharks, Columbus Blue Jackets), 14 more goals (Anaheim Ducks), and 20 more goals (Ottawa Senators) in that same span. The Blackhawks have scored only one goal or been shutout in seven of their last 10 games, and in nine of the 13 games this month. It’s been ugly lately.
The two lone Blackhawks goals on this current road trip came from Joey Anderson and Nick Foligno, both against the Seattle Kraken Wednesday.
Lines, pairings, and the starting goalie at Saturday’s morning skate were the same as the game against Edmonton:
In prospect news, Samuel Savoie has finally been activated and was sent to his junior team, the Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL. He was injured during a preseason contest and had to undergo femur surgery as a result.
Tale of the Tape
Blackhawks — Statistic — Flames
44.05% (31st) — 5-on-5 Corsi For — 50.31% (17th)
42.39% (32nd) — 5-on-5 Expected goals for — 49.54% (19th)
2.12 (31st) — Goals per game — 3.08 (17th)
3.57 (29th) — Goals against per game — 3.15 (t-14th)
45.0% (32nd) — Faceoffs — 51.5% (9th)
12.6% (32nd) — Power play — 13.3% (30th)
76.8% (t-25th) — Penalty kill — 84.1% (3rd)
How to watch
When: 9 p.m. CT
Where: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary
TV: NBC Sports Chicago
Webstream: ESPN+
Radio: WGN 720