Flames to host Avery, Rangers
Last Updated: Saturday, November 7, 2009 | 2:10 PM MT
By Justin Piercy, CBC Sports
Sean Avery and the New York Rangers visit the Calgary Flames on Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday night. (Nick Laham/Getty Images)Sean Avery will return to his very own house of ill-fame Saturday night when his New York Rangers visit the Calgary Flames at the Pengrowth Saddledome on Hockey Night in Canada (10 p.m., CBC, CBCSports.ca).
It was 11 months ago that the abrasive forward, then part of the Dallas Stars, made his disparaging comments to the media about Flames defenceman Dion Phaneuf and Canadian actress Elisha Cuthbert.
That outburst kept Avery off the ice that night — and he never again laced up the skates to play with the Stars. Instead he earned himself a meeting at NHL headquarters, a spot in an anger-management program and a stint in the AHL before rejoining the Blueshirts.
Despite all of the drama on his last trip, Avery said he's looking forward to his return to Calgary.
"Now that I think of it, I'm excited," Avery told the New York Post. "There are always tough games in that building, and that's what I need."
The Rangers (10-6-1) would like to see a big game out of Avery, who has two goals and two assists in 12 games.
King Henrik questionable
They would also like to see the return of their All-Star starting goaltender on the final game of their three-game western Canada road trip.
Henrik Lundqvist (8-5-1, 2.52 GAA) sat out New York's 4-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday with a stiff right thigh.
According to backup goalie Steve Valiquette, the game against the Oilers was a must-win for the Rangers as they ended a four-game slide and kept in the good graces of their coach.
"We needed a win of any kind period, not just a road win," Valiquette said. "Just like Edmonton, we have been reeling a little bit and we knew this game was an opportunity to perhaps turn things around.
"We would have been in deep trouble with [coach John Tortorella] if we had recorded another loss here."
Extra-time heroes
Calgary (9-4-1) will return home hoping to spoil the final game of the Rangers' road trip while looking for a third straight win.
After dropping two straight at home, the Flames packed their bags for games in St. Louis and Dallas and were victorious, although the matches took overtime to be decided.
"A good road trip for us," goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff said. "To come out with four points, that's huge. To win these close games, it's nice."
The victories were two of three of that the Flames have skated off with in extra time — the other came against the provincial rival Oilers in a shootout on Oct. 8.
"To be able to get two [wins] in a row, in overtime like this, it's a great feeling," captain Jarome Iginla said. "It's good for momentum."
Iginla has seemingly shaken off the criticism dealt to him and his linemates Craig Conroy and Curtis Glencross by coach Brent Sutter. After questioning their play, the Flames' captain put in a strong performance on the two-game trip, posting three goals and one assist.
He'll also hope to continue his offensive success against the Rangers — Iginla has eight goals and three assists in his last seven games against New York.
with files from the Associated Press
