Calgary Flames
Mikael Backlund is week to week for the Flames with an upper-body damage.
The ahead was injured within the first interval of a 4-3 shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday.
“He does all the pieces for us,” ahead Blake Coleman stated previous to a 4-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Friday. “He performs in all conditions and he is the chief of the workforce. I’ve performed alongside him for a very long time now, so I’ve bought to seek out some chemistry with some guys right here fast. We will miss him on the market, however it is going to be a kind of issues the place you need to fill the opening by committee and guys bought to step up in some roles that perhaps they have not been put in all year long.”
Backlund has 24 factors (11 objectives, 13 assists) in 64 video games this season. He averages 1:49 of power-play time per sport and a pair of:23 short-handed and had not missed a sport the previous 4 seasons.
“I take advantage of [Backlund] in conditions towards prime gamers on a regular basis, so I have not actually needed to second-guess who’s going on the market towards a MacKinnon for a defensive-zone faceoff,” Flames coach Ryan Huska stated. “It has been Mikael. Apart from that, I feel the work that he is executed is assist deliver alongside another individuals regarding the management and what we search for out of our gamers. I do anticipate our management group to be the strongest gamers for us tonight in his absence and I do know everybody else will observe alongside.”
The Flames (30-24-11) are tied with the Canucks for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Convention. They recalled ahead Dryden Hunt from Calgary of the American Hockey League on Friday; he had one shot on objective in 6:20 of ice time towards the Avalanche.
“We have not plenty of time left right here to begin climbing and profitable some video games,” Coleman stated. “It is on the blokes which are within the locker room with that subsequent man up, and we’ll get them.” — Aaron Vickers
