Minnesota @ Calgary preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 15, 2018 ) Calgary 2, Minnesota 1

The Calgary Flames plan to honor the franchise's leader in goals and points when the team begins a two-game homestand playing, ironically, its best defensive hockey of the season. The Flames, who have allowed just one goal in four straight contests, look to make Jarome Iginla proud on Saturday as they attempt to push their season-high winning streak to eight games against the Minnesota Wild.

David Rittich didn't have much margin for error in his last two starts, as he turned aside 41 of 43 shots to help Calgary record 2-1 wins in Ottawa (Sunday) and New Jersey (Wednesday). "We did a great job in our zone. That's important if you want to make the playoffs," said the 26-year-old Rittich, who boasts a 9-0-4 mark at Scotiabank Saddledome this season. Minnesota has countered a 1-6-3 stretch with four straight victories, with Devan Dubnyk turning aside 116 of 122 shots in that stretch -- including 30 of 32 in Tuesday's 3-2 win at Winnipeg. "We've faced an awful lot of teams that have big winning streaks this year at certain points and we seem to get them at their hottest," Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. "... I like the way that we've been playing recently and it's going to be a great challenge for us."

TV: 10 p.m. ET, FS North (Minnesota), CBC, Sportsnet, Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet1, CITY (Calgary)

ABOUT THE WILD (31-27-6): Zach Parise, who leads the team in goals (24) and points (54), is carrying both a four-game point streak (one goal, four assists) and a bruised foot into Saturday's contest in Calgary. Minnesota elected to play it safe on Friday and reached out to Iowa of the American Hockey League to recall fellow forward Matt Read on an emergency basis should the ailing foot prevent the 34-year-old Parise from facing the Flames. Read, who has 187 points in 442 career NHL games with Minnesota and Philadelphia, has collected 15 goals and 16 assists in 50 contests this season with Iowa.

ABOUT THE FLAMES (41-16-7): Johnny Gaudreau set up both of Calgary's second-period goals against the Devils to lift his team-leading totals in assists (52) and points (82). The 25-year-old, who has 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in 13 career meetings with Wild, joined captain Mark Giordano in setting up Elias Lindholm's tallies in a 2-0 win over Minnesota on Dec. 6. The 35-year-old Giordano scored in Calgary's 2-1 victory over the Wild on Dec. 15 and also tallied versus New Jersey to give the Flames five players with at least 60 points (Gaudreau, Lindholm, Sean Monahan, Matthew Tkachuk).

OVERTIME

1. Minnesota has collected at least a point in 14 of its last 20 visits to Calgary (12-6-2).

2. The Flames have thwarted their opponents' last 13 consecutive power-play opportunities over the past five contests.

3. Wild C Ryan Donato has scored one goal and set up five others in four games since being acquired from Boston.

PREDICTION: Flames 3, Wild 2