THE SKINNY: FLAMES VS. STARS - GAME 7
Calgary looks to advance to second round with victory tonight
Video: Brendan Parker sets up tonight's Game 7
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GAME DAY VIDEO
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GAME DAY FEATURE
"The Stuff You Dream Of"
AT SATURDAY'S AVAILABILITY
Watch Sutter, Lucic & Backlund
'The Time Is Now'
STAT PACK
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Scoring Leaders
Head-to-Head Stats
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LEADING SCORERS:
Flames:
1. Johnny Gaudreau (1-5-6)
2. Elias Lindholm (3-1-4)
3. Mikael Backlund (3-1-4)
Stars:
1. Joe Pavelski (3-2-5)
2. Roope Hintz (2-2-4)
3. Tyler Seguin (2-1-3)
SPECIAL TEAMS:
Powerplay:
Flames - 9.5% (14th)
Stars - 8.7% (15th)
Penalty Kill:
Flames - 91.3% (2nd)
Stars - 90.5% (3rd)
Shot Attempts:
Flames - 58.76% (2nd)
Stars - 41.24% (15th)
High-Danger Scoring Chances:
Flames - 57.01% (2nd)
Stars - 42.99% (15th)
Game 1 - W 1-0
Game 2 - L 2-0
Game 3 -L 4-2
Game 4 - W 4-1
Game 5 - W 3-1
Game 6 - L 4-2
It all comes down to this.
Game 7 between the Flames and Stars, the winner advancing to face the Oilers, who blanked the Kings 2-0 in their Game 7 tilt Saturday night.
Dallas skated to a 4-2 victory in Texas on Thursday to stave off elimination and force this deciding outing back at the Scotiabank Saddledome tonight.
"There's a lot of belief, always," said Darryl Sutter after the Flames touched down in Calgary yesterday. "That's the best part. This series deserves to have a Game 7. The score is 12-12."
Video: First Round, Gm6: Flames @ Stars
This opening-round matchup has resembled a back-and-forth boxing match, both teams landing some big blows, and both spending some time with their backs against the ropes, but no one able to deal the knockout blow.
That will now come tonight, as this best-of-seven has become a best of one.
And the Fames are a confident bunch.
"I think there's a reason you get to a Game 7," said Sutter. "That's your structure, your foundation, the things you talk about. You have that in the bank, always."
Video: "This series deserves to have a Game 7"
Milan Lucic headlines a list of nine Flames who have played in a Game 7 with 10 appearances, while Tyler Toffoli is second with six.
"You obviously know it's a do-or-die game and from my experiences in Game 7's, you've just got to go out there and play," said Lucic. "The main thing is, you've got to make plays, you've got to execute plays, you've got to finish plays - and your desire to win and your will to win has to be there. That's usually what it comes down to in winning a big game and a Game 7. It's going to be exciting. We've seen the last 10 days what the C of Red has been all about and even the Red Lot and how fans in Calgary are excited about it, so I'm sure they're excited about it tomorrow, as we are as players."
Sutter was asked Saturday by media if he wanted his players to feel 'pressure' heading into Game 7, or if he prefered them to avoid that.
His answer came quick.
"No, pressure's a good thing," he said. "In the long run, that's what separates you. I've been involved in several of those Game 7's, so that's what's - in the end - where you stand in the league, too, as a player."
The question was also put to Lucic.
"You want to have emotion, but there's a balance, you know?," said Lucic. "You want to have the emotion and are bottling it up and using it in the right way, and not letting it get the best of you. You remember when you're a kid and you're about to run a big race, and you feel like you get punched in the stomach before you start. It's that kind of feeling. You want to bottle that up and put it into a positive thing and this is a time when big players make big plays and get it done."
Heading into tonight's tilt, Sutter has the best Game 7 record in NHL playoff history at 7-3.
He went 1-1 in that category during the Flames magical 2004 run to the Stanley Cup final.
His 10 Game 7 starts behind the bench have him tied alongside some impressive brethren: Claude Julien, Mike Keenan and Mike Babcock
This:Defenceman Nikita Zadorov had a phone hearing with the NHL's Department of Player Safety yesterday and it was determined he would not face any supplemental discipline for his hit against Stars forward Luke Glendening in Game 6.
That:Fellow blueliner Chris Tanev left Game 6 during the second period and didn't return. His status for tonight's game is undetermined. "He'll see doctors and get some treatments today," Sutter said Saturday.
The Other :Jacob Markstrom had 22 wins on home ice in the regular season, the third most home wins in the NHL, sporting a .919 Sv% and a 2.26 GAA in his 38 home appearances.
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