The Calgary Flames face the Dallas Stars in the first round of the NHL playoffs.
After finishing the Winnipeg Jets in their qualifying streak on Thursday, the Flames had to wait until the round robin game between the Stars and the St. Louis Blues on Sunday afternoon to know who they would match with.
The stars had an eight-game streak of bad luck on Sunday, but went less than a minute ahead of the 1-1 draw in the third half and won the game in the shootout.
That means the Flames and Stars will face each other while the Blues will face the Vancouver Canucks.
Game 1 of the Calgary-Dallas series is scheduled for Tuesday 3:30 p.m. MT.
The flames (36-27-7) are the lower seeds but shouldn’t expect to be taken lightly by the stars (37-24-8).
“I think they have offensive talent over there and some D-men,” said Star veteran Joe Pavelski. “They came from a series where they had to fight. Winnipeg was a defensive team and the other is what happened last year. I think that was a wake up call for them and they will come in and work hard. “
When Pavelski says “last year” he is referring to the Colorado Avalanche’s first-round elimination of the Flames. The Flames had made it to the playoffs as number 1 in the Western Conference but had no answer for the Avs.
December 22, 2019; Dallas, Texas, USA; Calgary Flames goalkeeper David Rittich (33) and defender Mark Giordano (5) defend at the American Airlines Center in the second round against the right wing of Dallas Stars, Corey Perry (10). Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports ORG XMIT: USATSI-405559
Jerome Miron /.
USA TODAY Sports
If that spawned a narrative that the Flames weren’t dangerous in the playoffs, then the stars don’t seem to get involved.
“They play fast, they play good hockey, they move the puck well,” said the Stars’ goalkeeper Anton Khudobin, who started on Sunday instead of Ben Bishop, who is out and about every day. “It’s the playoffs, there will never be easy games and at the same time they’ve been in the playoffs for a couple of years and they know how to play and what to do.
“They have young people and veterans in the playoffs at the same time and they even have people who won the (Stanley Cup) so they know how to play and what to expect.”
The stars on Sunday were without Bishop and Star Center Tyler Seguin, both of whom were simply classified as “unable to play”. Head coach Rick Bowness said they were both commonplace when asked about their availability for Game 1 against the Flames.
For Calgary fans looking for reasons to feel upbeat, it’s worth noting that the Flames had some success against the Stars earlier in the season. In three head-to-head games, the Flames won twice, including a 5-1 win in their last encounter.
That was a long time ago on December 22nd last year. A lot has changed since then.
Calgary Flames goalkeeper Cam Talbot will be hit by Dallas Stars Joe Pavelski in the second period of the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Wednesday, November 13, 2019. Darren Makowichuk / Postmedia
Darren Makowichuk /.
DARREN MAKOWICHUK / Postmedia
“Whatever happened before we got there after the break is irrelevant,” said Bowness, who took over as the Stars’ head coach when Jim Montgomery was sacked in December. “We’ve seen them play the last couple of games and they’re playing very, very well right now. You get the goal, you get the right goals. They played against Winnipeg, a team that has obviously been beaten up with some key injuries, but they are a very confident team right now and they have some dangerous players and they have some elite defenders who play big on log. We know that we have very, very tough opponents. “
The media availability of the Flames on Sunday came before the Stars-Blues game ended, so they could not comment on their opponent in detail. Throughout the weekend, the Flames players emphasized respect for both teams that they might face in the first round.
The flames know only too well how dangerous the stars can be. The Stars may have driven a streak of eight losses towards Sunday – six losses before COVID-19, which forced the NHL to shut down in March, and their first two round robin games – but their roster is stacked with players who Doing so have done damage to the flames in the past.
Jamie Benn has 33 points in 34 career games against the Calgary crew, while Seguin has 22 points in 23 games and both Joe Pavelski and Corey Perry have celebrated at the Flames in past playoffs at the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks.
FLAMES STARS SERIES SCHEDULE (All Times MT)
Game 1: Tuesday, August 11, 3:30 p.m.
Game 2: Thursday, August 13th, 8:30 p.m.
Game 3: Friday, August 14th, 8:30 p.m.
Game 4: Sunday, noon
x-Game 5: Tuesday, August 18, TBD
x-Game 6: Thursday, August 20, TBD
x-Game 7: Saturday, August 22nd, TBD
x-if necessary
Twitter: @ DannyAustin_9
