The Calgary Flames have generated very little offence following their last three victories.
At least they’ve been rebounding nicely from defeats.
Calgary hopes that continues on Wednesday night when it hosts a Los Angeles Kings club going for a fourth win in five tries before heading home.
With Monday’s 4-0 loss at Phoenix — the team’s first shutout of the season — the Flames (5-6-3) have totaled three goals in their last three chances to post back-to-back wins.
“You can’t expect to work one game and take one night off after and think you’re going to become a playoff team,” said first-year coach Bob Hartley, whose team overcame a two-goal third-period deficit in Sunday’s 4-3 victory at Dallas. “No one cares about us. There’s 30 teams and you have to make your own nest.”
#LAKings vs. #Flames: Anze Kopitar had 1-2-3, plus-five in 4 GP vs. Calgary last year. Michael Cammalleri has 4-5-9 in his last five tilts.
— Chris Nichols (@Nichols_NHLPool) February 20, 2013
The Flames, who have netted 11 goals while winning two straight after a loss, kick off a three-game homestand with the Kings (6-6-2) making their only visit this season. These teams split four games in 2011-12, with the road team winning each time.
Calgary scored just three total goals in those contests against Jonathan Quick, who snapped a personal three-start losing streak with 23 saves in Tuesday’s 3-1 victory at Edmonton.
Jeff Carter’s redirect of Trevor Lewis’ shot with 49.6 seconds left was the difference – Jarret Stoll added an empty-net goal with 21.3 seconds remaining – as Los Angeles evened its record on a three-game trip that started with Sunday’s 3-2 loss to league-leading Chicago.
“I think we played a pretty solid road game tonight,” said Lewis, whose two assists were his first points of the season. “… We gotta keep this going and get in the playoff hunt.”
The defending Stanley Cup champs, who moved past Colorado and the Flames in the Western Conference standings with the win, now go for a fourth consecutive victory at Calgary. Los Angeles then begins a stretch of eight of nine at Staples Center that concludes with back-to-back games against the Flames on March 9 and 11.
With Miikka Kiprusoff still sidelined with a sprained knee ligament, Danny Taylor could be in net again for Calgary. The 26-year-old turned aside 33 shots on Monday in his first NHL start. His previous appearance was his NHL debut, March 29, 2008, while with Los Angeles.
“I feel like I can play this game at the NHL level, it’s just a matter of staying focused for 60 minutes,” said Taylor, a Kings seventh-round pick in 2004. “If I’m not in the moment all the time, it doesn’t matter how good you are, you’re not going to play in this league.”
If Taylor doesn’t get the nod from Hartley, Joey MacDonald will make a second start since being claimed off waivers last week.
If Quick isn’t in net for a third straight game, Jonathan Bernier will attempt to win a career high-tying third consecutive start. Bernier has faced the Flames once, a 3-1 loss on Oct. 10, 2010. That was the Kings’ 10th straight – and most recent – defeat in Calgary.
