Calgary @ Tampa Bay preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 20, 2018 ) Tampa Bay 5, Calgary 4

Nikita Kucherov ended two droughts with authority last time out and the NHL’s point leader looks to get on a roll again when his league-best Tampa Bay Lightning host the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night. Kucherov had gone 11 games without a goal before scoring twice in Sunday’s 5-2 victory at Florida and posted three points after being blanked in two consecutive contests to push his season total to 84.

“Listen, you go through ups and downs in a season,” Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos told reporters. “Kuch is going to be Kuch. That’s why we have other guys on our team step up when you go through a little spurt like that. But it happens to the best of players. We weren’t too worried. This will really get him going again.” Kucherov registered a pair of assists in a 5-4 shootout win at Calgary on Dec. 20 and the Flames will try to tighten up defensively after giving up 11 goals while losing the last two meetings with the Lightning. Calgary, which entered Monday leading the Western Conference with 74 points, has dropped three of its last four contests (1-2-1) after suffering a 4-3 shootout setback at Vancouver on Saturday despite posting 47 shots. “Frustrated, right?” Flames defenseman Travis Hamonic told the Calgary Sun. “You need these points at this time of the year. It’s a grind, right? So every point matters and teams are close, things are tight. We thought it was a pretty good game on our part. We carried a lot of the play, but we just couldn’t get it.”

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet West (Calgary), FS Sun (Tampa Bay)

ABOUT THE FLAMES (34-15-6): Left wing Matthew Tkachuk has been kept off the scoresheet in five straight contests and will try to break out of that slump as he plays his 200th NHL game Tuesday. Left wing Johnny Gaudreau has cooled off a bit with three of his team-leading 75 points in the last five games while center Sean Monahan managed only two assists in his past five contests to place second on the team with 63 points. Forward Elias Lindholm made the scoresheet in 11 of his last 12 games, including three goals in four contests, and boasts a career-high 61 points.

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (41-11-4): Right wing Ryan Callahan was told by the team recently he was relegated to being the 13th forward, but took advantage of a chance with left wing Ondrej Palat (upper body) out Sunday to score the game-winner and register seven hits. “Obviously, it felt good,” Callahan told reporters. “I just tried to take the approach of working every day and making sure if I got the opportunity or when I got the opportunity I was ready to go and ready to contribute.” Stamkos is one away from his sixth 30-goal season and first since 2015-16 after scoring Sunday.

OVERTIME

1. Calgary RW James Neal is expected to return after having two teeth knocked out Saturday with coach Bill Peters telling reporters: “That’s why there are dentists.”

2. Tampa Bay LW Alex Killorn, who boasts a plus-15 rating this season, is two goals shy of 100 for his career but has one in the last 18 games.

3. Flames G David Rittich (20-4-5, .915 save percentage), who stopped 32-of-36 shots against Tampa Bay in December, has one regulation loss in his last 14 games.

PREDICTION: Lightning 4, Flames 2