Flames vs Panthers: Battle for Playoff Momentum

0:00It's March 20th, here's your Calgary Flames news in two minutes. The Calgary Flames host the Florida Panthers tonight in the second game of their final big homestand this season. The Flames sit at 24 wins, 37 losses, and 7 overtime losses for 61 points, while the Panthers have 34 wins, 31 losses, and 3 overtime losses for 71 points. Florida, the two-time defending Stanley Cup champs, comes off a 4-0 shut-out win over Edmonds in last night on a back-to-back. The Flames are aiming for a second straight victory after beating St. Louis on Wednesday. They are three wins and four losses since the trade deadline, with Ryan Strome and Joel Farahby leading the team in points. Expect Dustin Wolf in net, no major line of changes, though they struggle to score despite solid defense. Meanwhile, the Panthers are four wins and two losses since the deadline, led by Matthew Tikachuk, with nine points in his last six games. They project a Neil Terrasov to start ahead of Sergei Browski.

1:03Despite the hot streak, Florida trails by 13 points for a playoff spot. Both teams have key injuries, including Jonathan Huberdo and Sam Hanzek out for Calgary, and Alexander Barkov, Brad Marchand, and Sam Reinhardt, sideline for Florida. The Flames hold an edge and head-to-head play, winning their only meeting this season back in November. Sports show Calgary at 48.7% expected goals for, ranking 23rd, while Florida sits 12th at 51.3%, catch the action starting at 7 p.m., mountain time on sports net west and sports net 960. The fan, as these squads battle for momentum laid in, the year.