Time to get greedy: Lightning at Flames preview

Game Sixty-Nine: Tampa Bay Lightning (43-21-4) at Calgary Flames (28-34-7)

Time: 8:00 PM EST

Location: Scotiabank Saddledome, Where Alanis Morisette will be performing during the Calgary Stampede in July

TV/Stream/Radio: The Spot, SNW, ESPN+, 102.5 FM, Lightning App

Odds: Lightning -175

Know the Opponents: Flamesnation

A road trip that produces three wins out of four games is a successful voyage away from home. However, at this point in the season, the Lightning would really benefit from running the table and picking up all eight points that their swing through the Pacific Northwest and Alberta have offered up for them. It’s time for the Lightning to get a little greedy.

Next up on the schedule is a Calgary Flames team that has not had the season they were expecting in 2025-26. Instead of competing for a payoff spot, they are locked in a race to the bottom of the standings. Granted, it’s unlikely that they will catch the Vancouver Canucks who are anchoring the standings with just 50 points, but the Flames are among a clutch of teams competing for that second-overall worst spot. Calgary is at 63 points while the Hawks and Rangers are at 64.

On the season it’s a lack of offense that has done them in as they are last in scoring at 2.46 GF/GP and their power play is ranked 31st at 15.8%. Defensively, they are 17th at 3.06 GA/GP and their penalty killing is top-10 at 81.0%.

Those defensive numbers have taken a bit of a hit recently, though. Since the trade deadline they are 4-4-0, but their goals against has ballooned up to 3.63 GA/GP while their penalty killing has dropped to 70%. They have righted the ship a bit of late, allowing just ten goals over their last five games, with five of those coming in a 5-2 loss to Detroit. In their last two outings, both wins, they’ve allowed just two goals total.

Dustin Wolf has been solid of late, going 4-5-0 with a 2.89 GAA, .902 SV% and 2.62 GSAx in his last ten games. Devin Cooley has also had some solid games mixed in there as well. So, the goaltending of late has been keeping them in games.

Much like the match-up against Vancouver, the Lightning should have the advantage when it comes to depth. Calgary is littered with solid forwards who are being asked to play a bit above their normal station. Blake Coleman, Mikael Backlund, and Joel Farabee are solid middle-six forwards, but don’t quite carry the impact that is required for a top line on a contending team.

It could be another big night for the Lightning’s big line of Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel, and Nikita Kucherov. On this road trip the Lightning are dominating possession when it comes to shot attempts (66.67%), scoring chances (61.54%), high-danger chances (75%), and most importantly, goals as they have a 6-1 edge in that category.

Cirelli was banged up in his fight on Saturday night, but returned for the end of the game. It’s likely that he’s a game-time decision, but if he can go, there isn’t really a line on Calgary’s roster that can match up with them. Expect the Lightning to come out strong and give Jonas Johansson a little offensive help as he tries to get back into his groove.

It’s been a rough post-Olympic schedule for JoJo, who is 0-2-0 in his two starts, and has allowed 13 goals. They don’t need him to put up Andrei Vasilevskiy-type of numbers tonight, but they do need him to stop the shots that he’s expected to.

With Buffalo also playing today these are two fairly important points for the Lightning if they want to secure the top seed in the division. A win coupled with a Sabres loss would get them within two points while still having those two games in hand. Buffalo is playing in Anaheim tonight while the Blue Jackets and Islanders face-off against each other.

Sweeping the road trip sets the Lightning up nicely for their long homestand as the season starts to wind down.

Potential Lines

Tampa Bay Lightning

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Calgary Flames

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