Calgary Flames fans should expect to see Connor Zary playing down the middle in tomorrow’s game versus the Nashville Predators.
Following a 3-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night, the Flames unveiled some new line combinations at practice this morning.
#Flames new-look lines and pairings at practice:
Huberdeau-Zary-Sharangovich
Pospisil-Kadri-Kuzmenko
Coleman-Backlund-Coronato
Lomberg-Kirkland-Rooney-Klapka (rotating)Bahl-Andersson
Weegar-Miromanov
Bean-Pachal
Hanley-Barrie pic.twitter.com/pobnH2sURw— Derek Wills (@Fan960Wills) November 14, 2024
Though he’s played primarily on the wing since being with the Flames, Zary has plenty of experience down the middle of the ice. In an attempt to get him out of the offensive funk he’s in, head coach Ryan Huska appears to be giving him an opportunity to play down the middle tomorrow night with Jonathan Huberdeau and Yegor Sharangovich on his wings.
As for the second line, Martin Pospisil will reunite with Nazem Kadri, while Andrei Kuzmenko will play on the left side. The third line of Mikael Backlund, Blake Coleman and Matt Coronato will remain intact, as will the fourth line of Justin Kirkland, Ryan Lomberg, and Kevin Rooney.
On the blue line, it appears as though Jake Bean will draw back in after sitting as a healthy scratch for six of the past seven games. Coming out will be Tyson Barrie, who last sat on Saturday versus the Buffalo Sabres.
Assuming the goalie rotation continues, it will be Dustin Wolf in net tomorrow night to face the Predators. The 23-year-old has had an impressive rookie season to date, posting a 2.84 goals against average (GAA) along with a .913 save percentage (SV%) and a 5-2-1 record.
It will be interesting to see what the Flames have to give tomorrow, as they have finally had a much-needed two-day break following a gruelling schedule that saw them play 12 games in just 22 days. They’ll also have the benefit of facing the Predators in the second half of a back-to-back, as they are taking on the Edmonton Oilers this evening.
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