At the Rink: Flames at Ducks

ANAHEIM -- The Calgary Flames and the Anaheim Ducks will play for the first time since the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Tuesday at Honda Center (10 p.m., ET; FS-W, SNW) with the Flames anxious to show the lessons they learned in that series.

Coach Bob Hartley said that the Flames (8-12-1) have grown as a team since their loss in Game 5 of the Western Conference Second Round series. The Flames have not won at Honda Center since Jan. 19, 2004, but came close in that decisive game, taking a 2-1 lead into the third period before the Ducks tied it and Corey Perry scored in the overtime period.

"You always start fresh, but I think that Game 5 is a good base," Hartley said. "By far the best game that we've played here in I don't know how many years or how many moons. But at the same time, every game is just a different challenge. You can't sit on what you've done well. You can draw positives, but positives don't give you points in the NHL standings."

After a slow start to the season, the Flames are 3-2-0 in their past five games. Hartley said they've made necessary adjustments that allow the defensemen to jump in and join the rush, a key part of their identity.

Captain Mark Giordano said the Flames made strides in the previous road trip, but didn't necessarily see the results that they're seeing now.

"We're playing more aggressive as a five-man unit," Giordano said. "Defensively, we've been a whole lot better but that's because we've been spending more time in the other team's zone."

The aggressive play is key against Anaheim which has physically overwhelmed Calgary in the past. The Ducks (7-10-4) are still looking to bring that hard forecheck that gave the Flames problems in the playoffs, but have struggled, taking 76 penalties so far this season.

Anaheim's penalty kill percentage (88.2) leads the League, but center Ryan Getzlaf said the team is trying to find a balance between penalties and maintain their physical edge.

"When you're not taking penalties, our team tends to be a little soft and easy to play against and we don't want to play like that," Getzlaf said. "The way the game is now, it's all penalties and power plays and we want to try and limit their opportunities while also playing our game effectively."

Ducks goaltender Frederik Andersen was sent to the doctor with flu-like symptoms and was not with the team at the morning skate. John Gibson was recalled from San Diego of the American Hockey League and will back up Anton Khudobin.

Here are the projected lineups:

FLAMES

Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Mason Raymond

Sam Bennett - Mikael Backlund - Michael Frolik

Joe Colborne - Matt Stajan - David Jones

Michael Ferland - Josh Jooris - Brandon Bollig

Mark Giordano - TJ Brodie

Kris Russell - Dougie Hamilton

Deryk Engelland - Dennis Wideman

Karri Ramo

Joni Ortio

Injured: Lance Bouma (fibula), Jonas Hiller (lower-body), Jiri Hudler (illness)

Scratched: Ladislav Smid

DUCKS

Rickard Rakell - Ryan Getzlaf - Corey Perry

Nick Ritchie - Ryan Kesler - Jakob Silfverberg

Carl Hagelin - Shawn Horcoff - Andrew Cogliano

Patrick Maroon - Mike Santorelli - Chris Stewart

Cam Fowler - Kevin Bieksa

Sami Vatanen - Clayton Stoner

Hampus Lindholm - Josh Manson

Anton Khudobin

John Gibson

Injured: Nate Thompson (shoulder), Simon Despres (concussion symptoms), Jiri Sekac (ankle), Frederik Andersen (illness)

Scratched: Korbinian Holzer, Chris Mueller

Status Report: Anaheim recalled Gibson and Mueller from San Diego of the AHL and sent defenseman Shane O'Brien and center Michael Sgarbossa to San Diego. Gibson and Mueller arrived Tuesday before the morning skate… Flames defenseman Dougie Hamilton is skating in his 200th career game. He will be the 10th player from the 2011 NHL Draft class to play 200 games. ... Hudler will miss his second straight game with a virus.

Who's Hot: Monahan has three goals and four points in his past four games… Gaudreau has five points in five career games against Anaheim… Getzlaf and Horcoff each have 39 career points against the Flames… Ramo is playing in his 11th straight game.