Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Big Game Tonight For Both Calgary And Vancouver

01/06/2017 at 5:54pm EST

from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,

Well, what a difference five weeks make.

On Dec. 1, neither the Calgary Flames nor the Vancouver Canucks were giving anyone much to be positive about, ranked 10th and 12th respectively in the West and spinning their wheels. Today, as the two teams mark their season’s halfway point with a home-and-home Friday and Saturday, both are edging towards contention — especially Calgary.

Vancouver has won five in a row, and a sweep of Calgary will move them ahead of the Flames by a point. Calgary has won five of its past seven games — 11 of its last 15 — and since Dec. 2 they lead the NHL in powerplay (35.7%) and are fourth in penalty killing (89.1%). This from a team that was ranked dead last on the PP early in the season.

If the Flames sweep both games they would be, at worst, within a point of Edmonton, a team they’ve been chasing since Day 1 this season. Calgary gets Edmonton on Hockey Night in Canada the following two weekends, but it’s these two games against the Canucks that could really separate the Flames from the bottom half of the Pacific.

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About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

Email Paul anytime at [email protected]

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