Kirkland scratched as Flames switch lines amidst four-game losing streak

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The Calgary Flames are mixing and matching lines in hopes of snapping a four-game losing streak tonight.

The Flames will be back home at the Saddledome tonight following an ugly two-game road trip in which they were outscored 10-1.

Things won’t be much easier tonight, as they are taking on a New Jersey Devils team that is tied for first in the league with 50 goals on the season. That said, Flames head coach Ryan Huska is making some tweaks to his lines that he hopes will give his team its best chance of grabbing two points tonight.

The most notable of these changes is that Justin Kirkland appears to be sitting as a healthy scratch tonight. The 28-year-old has been a great story this season and had an assist in the Flames’ latest outing versus the Utah Hockey Club, making this somewhat of a surprising decision.

As Ryan Pike of Flames Nation pointed out, however, Kirkland has played in nine NHL games this season. Playing in a 10th would mean he requires waivers to be sent back to the AHL, which could be part of the reason he’s out of the lineup.

As for other changes, Matt Coronato, who was recalled from the Wranglers yesterday, will play a top-six role with Mikael Backlund down the middle and Blake Coleman on the right wing.

The third line will remain the same as last game with the offensively-minded trio of Jonathan Huberdeau, Yegor Sharangovich, and Andrei Kuzmenko. That means that Anthony Mantha will remain on the fourth line with Ryan Lomberg despite scoring a goal last game. Kevin Rooney, who’s drawing in for Kirkland, will centre them.

As for the back end, Tyson Barrie will dress for a second-straight game for the first time this season. Daniil Miromanov is also expected to draw back in after being a healthy scratch versus the Utah Hockey Club. Coming out for him is Jake Bean.

The goaltending rotation will continue, with Dan Vladar getting the nod. He has a 3.18 goals against average (GAA) and a .895 save percentage (SV%) to go with a 2-2-1 record this season.

The Flames will be going up against a familiar face tonight, as Jacob Markstrom will be starting for the Devils. The 34-year-old spent the past four seasons with the Flames, compiling a 2.63 GAA and a .907 SV% over a combined 212 starts.

Puck drop in tonight’s outing is set for 7 pm MT.

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