Calgary @ Tampa Bay preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 12, 2019 ) Calgary 3, Tampa Bay 6

The Tampa Bay Lightning are suffering through their first four-game losing streak during the regular season in more than three years and look to snap out of the slump Saturday against the visiting Calgary Flames. The Lightning were shocked in the first round of the playoffs in four straight games against Columbus last April, but haven’t dropped four in a row in the regular season since Jan. 3-8, 2017.

Tampa Bay’s streak grew Thursday after coughing up a two-goal lead in the third period of the 5-2 loss to Chicago at home, and the Lightning have been outscored 21-11 over the past four games - immediately following a franchise-record run of 11 straight wins. “When the snowball got pushed off the hill, it just kept rolling and we couldn’t stop it,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said after Thursday’s defeat. “There’s been a lot more good than bad (the last two games), but the alarming amount of goals we’re giving up right now. … it’s not a recipe for winning hockey games. When you dig your heels in and get back to work, it’s got to start in our end first.” Calgary owns one of the two wild card positions in the Western Conference after gaining at least a point in its first three of a five-game road trip (2-0-1), but let one slip away Thursday when Nashville’s Mikael Granlund scored with one-tenth of a second left in regulation to tie the contest and won it 4-3 in overtime. “You’ve got to play it right to the last whistle and every play’s important,” Flames coach Geoff Ward told reporters. “It was unfortunate, but we’ll take the point for sure. We’ll be happy with probably like 98 percent of the hockey game.”

TIME: 4 p.m. ET. TV: FS Sun, Sportsnet West

ABOUT THE FLAMES (33-25-7): Center Mikael Backlund continued to wield a hot stick with a goal and two assists Thursday to extend his point streak to five games, giving him 18 points (nine goals) over the past 11 contests. Matthew Tkachuk boasts 13 of his team-leading 55 points in the last 11 contests while fellow left wing Johnny Gaudreau (53) saw his five-game point streak end Thursday. Reigning Norris Trophy winner Mark Giordano returned at Nashville after a 10-game absence (hamstring), playing 21 minutes, 34 seconds, and told reporters: “As the game wore on, I felt more and more comfortable with the puck and making plays.”

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (40-19-5): Newly acquired Blake Coleman is expected to return to the lineup after missing Thursday’s contest to be with his wife for the birth of the couple’s first child and fellow forward Patrick Maroon (undisclosed injury) could be back as well after missing one game. Captain Steven Stamkos (29 goals, 66 points), who also missed Thursday’s matchup, isn’t expected to be back and will be re-evaluated on the weekend for a lower-body ailment. Right wing Nikita Kucherov boasts six of his team-best 31 goals in the last eight games and has at least a point in the last 18 contests in which he played to lead the team with 78 overall.

OVERTIME

1. Calgary F Andrew Mangiapane has scored six of his career-high 16 goals in the past five contests.

2. Tampa Bay G Andrei Vasilevskiy (league-high 32 wins) has lost three in a row after going 19-0-2 in the previous 21 games.

3. The Lightning have won the last three meetings and scored a total of 17 goals in the process.

PREDICTION: Lightning 4, Flames 2