New York Rangers vs. Calgary Flames Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 21st 2024

Preview and Prediction

Despite possessing one of the top records in the league, the New York Rangers were not pleased with their performance at the start of the season.

However, as they prepare for their upcoming game against the Calgary Flames on Thursday, the Rangers are more content with their recent execution.

According to Forever Blueshirts, New York defenseman Adam Fox stated, "We were definitely not playing our best hockey, barely scraping by with wins, whether it was due to our goaltending or being able to score a few goals. Early in the season, there are areas we want to improve on...but our road trip has been going well."

The Rangers head to Calgary on a three-game winning streak after their 4-3 triumph over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. With a 7-1-0 record on the road, New York has already secured two victories in the middle of their four-game trip.

Although the game against Vancouver was close, the Rangers dominated the majority of the match. However, they did allow the first goal of the game just 34 seconds in.

"We had a really strong first period, maybe one of our best," said Rangers coach Peter Laviolette. "There were a few things we could have done differently to prevent that first goal, but it was important for us to come back and score right away."

Less than two minutes later, Mika Zibanejad tied the game, and the Rangers never trailed again after Will Cuylle's sixth goal in the first period. Chris Kreider scored the game-winning goal in the third period.

Cuylle commented, "We were doing a great job of recovering pucks. Whenever we had a chance, we would get a shot off and then quickly jump on the loose puck to sustain the pressure."

The Rangers may also have center Filip Chytil back in the lineup for the game. Chytil missed the last two games, but it was determined that he did not suffer a concussion during the game against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Flames are in the middle of a four-game homestand and have won their last two games, including a 2-1 shootout victory over the New York Islanders on Tuesday.

Calgary has earned points in six of their last seven games (4-1-2) and has been one of the pleasant surprises of the early season.

Their win against the Islanders was a perfect example of why the Flames have been successful despite being in a rebuilding phase. After falling behind in the second period, Calgary received strong goaltending from Dustin Wolf and eventually mounted a comeback.

Flames forward Justin Kirkland, who scored one of the shootout goals, said, "We battled hard and competed for every puck. It wasn't the cleanest game, but we were willing to do whatever it took to come out with two points."

Calgary has only scored three or fewer goals in their last 13 games, but they have managed to score 26 goals in the third period in 19 games.

The Flames have also benefited from solid goaltending, particularly from rookie Dustin Wolf. The two-time AHL goaltender of the year made several key saves to keep his team in the game and then was perfect in the shootout.

Wolf has a 4-0-1 record in his last five games, allowing only eight goals. With Wolf in net, Calgary has a 7-2-1 record. For now, he has secured the starting position for a team that had been rotating goalies at the start of the season.

Defenseman Rasmus Andersson praised Wolf, saying, "The more comfortable you get in this league, the more you believe in yourself, the more success you're going to have. He definitely has a lot of confidence in himself. He's been fantastic, especially in the last seven or eight games."

PREDICTION

New York Rangers

4

3

Calgary Flames

New York Rangers vs. Calgary Flames Recap FEB 18TH 2023