GDT #31: 3/24/13 > Blues @ Flames > 7:00 PM > FSMW/KMOX
Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 6:49 am
Prediction: Iginla traded to the Blues during the middle of the game.
BLUES (17-11-2) at FLAMES (11-14-4)
TV: FS-Midwest; SNET-West
Last 10: St. Louis 6-4-0; Calgary 4-6-0
Season series: The Blues are visiting Calgary for the second and final times this season. They thumped the Flames 5-2 on Feb. 15.
Big story: The Blues are starting to roll again after a February slump -- their 3-0 win at Edmonton on Saturday moved them into fifth place in the West. The Flames are home after being swept on a three-game road trip.
Team Scope:
Blues: Jaroslav Halak got a 13-day break between starts while rookie Jake Allen played. The time off must have done him some good -- he stopped all 19 shots he faced in Edmonton to earn his third shutout of the season and his 16th with the Blues, tying Glenn Hall for the franchise record.
"It's always good to get back in action in a game," said Halak, who had played in just three of the Blues' previous 10 games. "It's a big win for me and for the team. Looking at the shots it may have seemed easy, but if you ask any goalie around the league, they want to face more shots as they can. But I'll take it. A shutout is a shutout."
Flames: The Flames have to be relieved to be back at Scotiabank Saddledome after a nightmarish trip that ended with a 5-1 blowout loss at Columbus on Friday. But while Calgary hasn't won on the road in more than a month, the Flames have won six in a row on home ice.
Coach Bob Hartley appeared to be running out of answers following the loss to the Jackets.
“I’m not in their body. We’re pros. We’re paid to face pressure, to face challenges, to play big games, face the media and face the fans," he said. "We’re in the entertainment business. That’s the job we chose. If they can handle it or can’t, I can’t answer those questions for them.
Who's hot: Stewart has six goals in his past five games. Halak's shutout on Saturday was his 16th with the Blues, tying the franchise record set by Glenn Hall in the Blues' early years. … Lee Stempniak has one goal and six assists during a five-game points streak.
Injury report: Neither team has any new injuries. The Blues will be without Jamie Langenbrunner (hip surgery) for the rest of the season.