Liars.
The Avs were pitiful last season, a half-dozen points ahead of the cellar-dwelling Edmonton Oilers and four behind the worst team in the Eastern Conference.
That’s all changed.
It’s early, but they appear capable of competing with anyone right now.
What might have been considered by some a gimme for the Flames is looking like a real challenge now.
BODY COUNT
The Flames scratched LW Niklas Hagman Saturday against the Nashville Predators in favour of getting rookie C Roman Horak into the lineup.
Defenceman Anton Babchuk has been sitting out as a healthy observer for the past three games.
That’s almost $6 million on the bench as the Flames carry 23 healthy bodies. Something will have to give when C Mikael Backlund (finger) is ready to return a few weeks from now, but as things stand, head coach Brent Sutter has decisions to make every game.
With a struggling powerplay, it’s possible Babchuk could get back in, but it might be tough for Hagman considering how well Horak played on the fourth line with wingers Tom Kostopoulos and Tim Jackman. Hagman’s best hope is C Matt Stajan takes a turn on the sidelines and David Moss moves back to centre.
ROOKIE WONDER
The Avs’ 18-year-old phenom won’t be the first to visit the Saddledome this season with the Flames already playing host to the Oilers’ Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
But Gabriel Landeskog — who was drafted second overall behind Nugent-Hopkins — has been as big an impact player for the Avs as RNH has been for the Oilers.
If not better.
The Swede scored twice for the Avs in a 5-4 shootout victory over the Blackhawks in their last game, tying the game on a breakaway with less than two minutes to play.
Landeskog has four goals and five points in eight games so far.
OUT FOR REVENGE
The Blues pounded the Flames 5-2 in their first meeting this season in St. Louis.
How will the Flames fare this time?
Jaroslav Halak had to face just 17 shots from the Flames in the first meeting, but the Flames aimed 33 at Predators netminder Pekka Rinne during Saturday’s matinee.
On the Flames side, Henrik Karlsson made the start in St. Louis, and the way Brent Sutter is mixing things up in goal, there’s a slight chance Karlsson gets an opportunity to redeem himself Friday.
Brian Elliott made consecutive starts for the Blues as a reward for his early season play and there’s actually chatter he may steal the starting job from Halak thanks to a 34-save performance in Saturday’s 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
BLACK AND BLUES
Skill players are dropping like flies for the Blues.
David Backes took a heavy hit from Philadelphia Flyers brute Chris Pronger on Saturday and didn’t return.
The Blues have declared it an upper-body injury after the big Flyers blueliner exploded into their centreman as he headed to the net, making shoulder-to-shoulder contact that immediately seemed to put Backes into a daze. Hopefully, it’s not a concussion, because that’s a problem the team is already dealing with.
David Perron is with the team but is out indefinitely as he tries to get his strength and conditioning back on track after a long layoff with concussion issues.
He’s been out since last November.
Andy McDonald is also on the shelf with a possible head injury, which wouldn’t bode well for the team. The crafty winger had more tests on the weekend and missed 24 games last season with a concussion, so they’re playing it safe with him. If he does have another, it would be his second in 10 months.
