Flames at Maple Leafs preview
Calgary tries for sixth win in seven games; Toronto forward Marner looks to extend point streak to nine
by Dave McCarthy / NHL.com Independent Correspondent
FLAMES (25-18-5) at MAPLE LEAFS (25-16-6)
7 p.m. ET; TSN4, SNW, NHL.TV
The Game
The Calgary Flames will try for their sixth win in seven games when they face the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday.
The Flames play the second of a three-game road trip after a 2-0 loss at the Montreal Canadiens on Monday ended a five-game winning streak.
Maple Leafs forward Mitchell Marner will try to extend his point streak to nine games. He has 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in his past eight, a streak tied with Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel and Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane for the longest active run in the NHL.
Players to watch
Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau has eight points (three goals, five assists) in his past seven games.
Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews has 14 points (10 goals, four assists) in his past eight games.
They said it
"At home we were playing well there and it kind of slipped away in Montreal, so this is a game where we want to bounce back, create our chances ourselves and have a big one. They've got a skilled team and we know that. You don't want to give them room with the puck. Matthews, Tavares, Marner, guys like that, we have to pay attention when they're on the ice." -- Flames forward Sean Monahan
"It's sports. When you can bring emotion into your game, it makes your game better. We're no different than most teams but it definitely helps us. Being a skilled offensive team, when the passion comes into our game, I think we play our best hockey." -- Maple Leafs center Jason Spezza
Flames projected lineup
Johnny Gaudreau -- Sean Monahan -- Mikael Backlund
Matthew Tkachuk -- Elias Lindholm -- Andrew Mangiapane
Milan Lucic -- Derek Ryan -- Dillon Dube
Zac Rinaldo -- Tobias Rieder -- Sam Bennett
Mark Giordano -- TJ Brodie
Noah Hanifin -- Travis Hamonic
Oliver Kylington -- Rasmus Andersson
David Rittich
Cam Talbot
Scratched: Michael Stone, Alexander Yelesin, Mark Jankowski
Injured: Juuso Valimaki (knee)
Maple Leafs projected lineup
Zach Hyman -- Auston Matthews -- Mitchell Marner
Pierre Engvall -- John Tavares -- William Nylander
Andreas Johnsson -- Alexander Kerfoot -- Kasperi Kapanen
Dmytro Timashov -- Jason Spezza -- Frederik Gauthier
Martin Marincin -- Tyson Barrie
Travis Dermott -- Justin Holl
Rasmus Sandin -- Cody Ceci
Frederik Andersen
Michael Hutchinson
Scratched: Adam Brooks, Timothy Liljegren
Injured: Trevor Moore (concussion), Ilya Mikheyev (wrist laceration), Jake Muzzin (foot), Morgan Rielly (fractured foot)
Status report
Flames coach Geoff Ward said he is considering one or two lineup changes but will not decide until before the game. ... Muzzin began skating Wednesday and is a possibility to return after the All-Star break. The defenseman hasn't played since Dec. 27.
Stat pack
Monahan is one point from 400 in the NHL. ... Toronto has scored at least four goals in 12 of its past 14 games.