GDT: Battle in Music City: Calgary @ Nashville. 6PM MT, Sportsnet Flames

[Volica]

Straight out of Cashville, Calgary will start their first road trip of the season playing the defending Presiedent's Trophy winners from 2017/2018.

Key stories:
Calgary will have two players make their season debuts tonight. With Rasmus Andersson and Garnet Hathway dressing for tonight's tilt.
All Rookie 3rd pair. Calgary will dress two young European defenders on their third pairing as Rasmus Andersson and Juuso Valimaki make the debut in what may be a future top 4 pairing.
22 Year Old Sam Bennett will move away from Mark Jankowski and 4th line duties for the first time this season. Bennett has looked sharp in preseason and in the first two games of the season.
Can goaltending be any worse? With an over 4.00 GAA and a near .800 save percentage, Mike Smith is coming into the Nashville to face the best two-headed monster in the opposing net, in the league.
Porous defending. Can Calgary improve on it's weak high danger chance defending?

Projected Lines:



Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Elias Lindholm
Matthew Tkachuk - Mikael Backlund - Austin Czarnik
Sam Bennett - Dillon Dube - James Neal
Anthony Peluso - Derek Ryan - Micheal Frolik

Mark Giordano - TJ Brodie
Noah Hanifin - Mike Stone
Juuso Valimaki - Rasmus Andersson

Mike Smith



Filip Forsberg - Ryan Johansen - Viktor Arvidsson
Kevin Fiala - Kyle Turris - Craig Smith
Calle Jarnkrok - Nick Bonino - Ryan Hartman
Freddy Gaudreau - Colton Sissons - Miikka Salomaki

Roman Josi - Ryan Ellis
Mattias Ekholm - PK Subban
Anthony Bitetitto - Yannick Weber

Pekka Rinne

Click to read more...

 

[Janks]

Battle of the Gaudreau’s, let’s hope we’re on the winning side.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

If this game had Barclay Goodrow in it, it would be funnier.

- Boring Sean Monahan, probably.

 

[Rubi]

(Photos by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images)

 

[Flames Fanatic]

Always hoping for a win, but pessimistically I think this will be a lesson game for us, as Nashville is a much stronger team than Vancouver.

 

[Volica]

Always hoping for a win, but pessimistically I think this will be a lesson game for us, as Nashville is a much stronger team than Vancouver.

You never know.
Calgary always has a way of playing up to competition, it's been their M.O for the past number of years.

They always give up a lot of points to bad teams.

 

[DubeWheresMyCar]

Don't know who it belongs to, but the tape job on the Nexus twig in front of Rinne in the second image irritates me. Need to win this game because of that alone!

 

[Anglesmith]

I look forward to a team not playing straight trap/counter hockey against us. Should be a lot more conducive to our players looking good.

 

[valeriammm]

Don't know who it belongs to, but the tape job on the Nexus twig in front of Rinne in the second image irritates me. Need to win this game because of that alone!

If that stick and tape job belongs to anyone of our guys past or present, I want to personally apologize lmao

 

[crackdown44]

I know Gio/Brodie will probably play half the game but on the road in Nashville I’d probably play Rasmus with Gio for his first game

Gio/Andersson
Hanifin/Brodie
Valimaki/Stone

Vali/Andersson could get stuck in some tough matchups tonight. Regardless it will be fun to watch, looking forward to seeing them in action!

Edit: The Hanifin/Brodie pairing kind of scares the shit out of me if I’m being honest that should probably not be a thing

 

[Rubi]

 

[Volica]

Fixed to have Peluso in the lineup.

 

[Rubi]

Gaudreau-Monahan-Lindholm
Tkachuk-Backlund-Czarnik
Bennett-Dube-Neal
Frolik-Ryan-Peluso

I guess everyone that's been complaining (after only 2 games) about Ryan's ice time (too much) can stop complaining now?
I doubt he's going to get 15 minutes playing on the 4th line with Frolik and Peluso and no PP time. Although I guess he could get time on the PK.

 

[Rubi]

LINEUP NOTES - 08.10.18

On the powerplay, Peters noted he was looking to change up his second unit after they struggled to set up in Saturday's 7-4 win over the Canucks.

UNIT ONE
Elias Lindholm
Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Matthew Tkachuk
Mark Giordano

UNIT TWO
James Neal
Dillon Dube - Mikael Backlund - Austin Czarnik
Noah Hanifin

 

[Anglesmith]

Gaudreau-Monahan-Lindholm
Tkachuk-Backlund-Czarnik
Bennett-Dube-Neal
Frolik-Ryan-Peluso

Yep.. I see what everyone's talking about with regards to Peters favouritism towards Ryan. No way the guy deserves to be on the 4th line with a couple of stud players like Frolik and Peluso.

I guess everyone that's been complaining about Ryan's ice time can stop complaining now?

 

[Rubi]

fixed

 

[FlamerForLife]

Looking forward to this one, we actually one the season series against the Predators last year 2-1

 

[Calculon]

And just like that it's a 8M 4th line again.

Really liked that third line though. And will be interesting to see how Valimaki and Andersson do. They're a big part of the future.

 

[Rubi]

Couldn't have said it better myself, Bill.

 

[Mobiandi]

Pretty sure we've won something like 7 out of the last 8 games in Nashville. We've got their number there for sure

 

[CraigsList]

Always hoping for a win, but pessimistically I think this will be a lesson game for us, as Nashville is a much stronger team than Vancouver.

Calgary over the years has been a team that beats the really good teams and absolutely s***’s the bed against the weak teams we should be getting wins from. Vancouver of this year is your perfect example.

 

[Volica]

Couldn't have said it better myself, Bill.

I've been pounding the 'get more centres' drum for the last like... 6 years posting on this forum.
You can move them around, to wings, to centre their own lines, etc... when you have shit centre depth, you're a shit team.

 

[Mr Snrub]

I have a bad feeling about the Valimaki/Andersson pairing.

 

[Rubi]

I have a bad feeling about the Valimaki/Andersson pairing.

Well then I'm the Yang to your Yin. I have a good feeling about the Valimaki/Andersson pairing. Balance has been achieved.

 

[Volica]

And just like that it's a 8M 4th line again.

Really liked that third line though. And will be interesting to see how Valimaki and Andersson do. They're a big part of the future.

It's a very different 8M 4th line though than we're used to.
It's not quite that Matt Stajan/Troy Brouwer/Lance Bouma special where it hurts you when they're on the ice and add really bad PKing to boot.

Ryan and Frolik are middle 6 forwards. Frolik is one of the best PK'ers we've had since his arrival here. Doc's a good faceoff man.

Peluso is a big question mark as to why he's in. Really not sure why Jankowski isn't playing LW here; not like Nashville's got some bullies waiting for us.