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Flames' Projected Lineup & Notes Against Sabres - 1.23.25

ryan gagne
·3 min read

The Calgary Flames (22-16-7) are back at the Saddledome, hosting the Buffalo Sabres (18-24-5) for their only home contest of the week.

In the year's first meeting on Nov. 9, the Sabres picked up a 3-2 shootout win at KeyBank Center when JJ Peterka scored the winner in the second round.

The Flames are 5-5-0 in their last ten games, having picked up a 3-1 win last Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets. Meanwhile, the  Sabres (4-5-1) just upset the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Tuesday and are 1-1-0 thus far on their Western road trip.

Between the Pipes

Dustin Wolf is back in goal for the Flames, making his seventh start in the past nine games. He's 4-2-0 in January and 16-7-2 this season.

Thus far in his young career, Wolf has only skated against the Sabres once, losing 4-1 on Mar. 24, 2024, with Buffalo scoring two empty-net goals to secure the victory.

At home, Wolf is 11-2-1 this season and 17-6-1 overall in his career, thanks to a 2.28 GAA and .924 SV%.

Related: Flames Call Up Wranglers Captain

His counterpart will be Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on Thursday. The 25-year-old enters the contest with a 15-14-4 record this season in 34 games.

Tonight will mark the fourth time Luukkonen will play against Calgary, looking to improve upon his 2-1-0 record. In those contests, he's compiled a 3.25 GAA and .899 SV%.

Moreover, he's 8-4-2 on the road this season, with much better statistics, 2.64 GAA and .915 SV% than at home.

Conversation Starters

  • Rory Kerins is about to make his Saddledome debut with the Flames. Still producing at a point-per-game average with four assists in four games, the 22-year-old is still searching for his first NHL goal. Could it happen on Thursday?

  • Earlier in the afternoon, the Flames announced that Calgary Wranglers captain Clark Bishop had been recalled and will be in the lineup for his first NHL game since Feb. 15, 2022. Can his reemergence spark the bottom six?

  • Nazem Kadri's name is a high-target trade piece on social media. He's in a bit of a slump at the moment with no points in four straight, tying a season-high. With 15 points at the Saddledome this season, can he break out and feed off the energy of the Calgary faithful?

Where Are They Now?

  • Calgary

  • Buffalo

Flames & Sabres Leaders

Per the Flames staff at NHL.com, here's a breakdown of tonight's lineup. (Subject to change)

FORWARDS

Jonathan Huberdeau -- Nazem Kadri -- Martin Pospisil

Blake Coleman -- Mikael Backlund -- Matt Coronato

Rory Kerins -- Yegor Sharangovich -- Andrei Kuzmenko

Ryan Lomberg -- Clark Bishop -- Jakob Pelletier

DEFENCE

Kevin Bahl -- Rasmus Andersson

Mackenzie Weegar -- Daniil Miromanov

Jake Bean -- Brayden Pachal

GOALIES

Dustin Wolf

Dan Vladar

SCRATCHES

Kevin Rooney, Tyson Barrie, Joel Hanley

Tonight's game, which starts at 7:00 p.m. MT, is available on SN1, MSG-B, and Sportsnet+.