Brian Elliott went into the All-Star break on a high, making 25 saves in a 3-2 OT win over Ottawa.
Now, Elliott will look to exit the break in a similar fashion.
He’ll get the start ahead of Chad Johnson this evening when Calgary hosts Minnesota at the Saddledome. The decision probably has to do with the fact Elliott posted a rare victory for the Flames last Thursday -- the club skidded down the last half of January, going 3-6-1 over its last 10.
As we wrote last week, head coach Glen Gulutzan is employing the “win and you’re in” strategy, a testament to how desperate Calgary is for points. The Flames are currently outside of the playoff picture, even on 53 points with St. Louis but behind because of the tiebreaker.
For the Wild, Devan Dubnyk starts after Darcy Kuemper beat the Oilers last night.
Elsewhere...
-- In Washington, Braden Holtby returns to the starter’s crease after Philipp Grubauer was tagged for the loss last night in Brooklyn. No word yet on who goes for the visiting Bruins. Tuukka Rask beat the Lightning last night, and the club recalled Zane McIntyre from AHL Providence.
-- Peter Budaj goes for the Kings at Staples, when they host the Avalanche. Colorado has yet to name a starter, but it will be one of Calvin Pickard or Spencer Martin now that Semyon Varlamov has been shut down for the year.