The Flames, who are 4-1-0 in their past five games after a four-game losing streak, lead the San Jose Sharks by three points in the conference and division. The Sharks play the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday. Calgary forwards Sean Monahan (illness) and Sam Bennett (upper body) will return to the lineup after each missed the past two games. The Senators are 3-11-1 in the past 15 games, including a 7-4 loss at the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday, and have been eliminated from contention for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Players to watch
Senators forward Brady Tkachuk has five points (three goals, two assists) in his past seven games, and is fourth among NHL rookies in goals (17) and points (37). Calgary forward Matthew Tkachuk has 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in his past five games.
They said it
"We have to be much better right from the get-go if we're going to try to beat anybody in the League. You need a 60-minute effort." -- Senators coach Marc Crawford "Just because we're in the playoffs, we can't slack a little bit here and take games off. These are important nine games for us. We're focused on Ottawa tonight. We're looking forward to trying to get two big points here and moving on to the next game." -- Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau
The Senators didn't have a morning skate. Pageau will have a hearing with the NHL Player Safety Department for a boarding penalty Wednesday. … Brannstrom, Abramov and Chlapik were recalled from Belleville of the American Hockey League on Thursday. … The Flames held an optional morning skate.
Stat pack
Duclair has three points (two goals, one assist) in a three-game point streak. Tierney has five points (two goals, three assists) in a five-game point streak. … Giordano has six assists during a five-game point streak. Gaudreau has eight points (five goals, three assists) in the past four games.
