By Dave Vest CALGARY – The Coyotes will conclude a brief two-game trip tonight with a game against the Calgary Flames at the Pengrowth Saddledome. The puck drops at 6:30 p.m. (Arizona time).
Phoenix (47-24-6) will enter the game in fourth place in the Western Conference standings with 100 points, four points behind first-place San Jose, which plays at Dallas tonight.
Backup goalie Jason LaBarbera will start for the Coyotes, who lost to Vancouver, 4-1, on Tuesday night at GM Place. Phoenix was flat, and the Canucks pounced with two goals within the first 4:08.
"It's a good learning game for us," Coyotes forward Radim Vrbata said of Tuesday's loss. "It was good that it happened now rather than in the playoffs... We've got to learn from it, but on the other hand forget about it and play a good game (tonight)."
LaBarbera has won his past four starts and has stopped 121 of 128 shots in those games.
Calgary (38-29-9) will enter the game in desperation mode sitting in ninth place in the Western Conference standings, four points behind eighth-place Colorado.
Time is running out for the Flames as they make a late-season push to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After tonight's game, the Flames have just five games left.
Flames center Mikael Backlund said the team can't afford to rely on other teams ahead of them to lose.
"We're trying to concentrate on ourselves," Backlund told the team's Web site. "We've got to win our own games. We have been struggling here. We've got to win almost every game left here. We've got to take one game at a time and win those."
Coyotes right wing Radim Vrbata, who scored his 24th goal on Tuesday at Vancouver, ranks 12th in the league with 259 shots on goal.
Bourque
Flames left wing Rene Bourque notched a goal and two assists in a 5-3 victory over Washington on Sunday. Bourque is tied for second on the team with 54 points.
The home team has won the first three games between these teams this season, each by one goal. Calgary won 2-1 on Nov. 25, while the Coyotes won 2-1 on Dec. 3 and 3-2 in a shootout on Jan. 28.
The Coyotes have not allowed a power-play goal in the past five games. The penalty-killing unit is 15 for 15 in those games.
Flames center Jarome Iginla has scored one goal in his last 10 games. He has just 32 goals this season; he hasn't had less than 35 in a full season since getting 31 in 2000-01.
Bissonnette
“I'm pretty vocal in the room as far as joking around and keeping the guys light. As little a role as I do play, I feel that it's a piece of the puzzle so I'll just stick to that.”
Calgary (38-29-9) will enter the game in desperation mode sitting in ninth place in the Western Conference standings, four points behind eighth-place Colorado.
