GAME DAY: Flames @ Canucks

In an era of lopsided divisional play, rivals are many in the NHL, but when it comes to the Vancouver Canucks, is there an opponent that brings out as much passion as the Calgary Flames? And it's fitting then that two of the hottest teams in the preseason clash tonight as the Canucks begin their final 3 pre-season contests, all at GM Place. The Canucks are currently 4-0, while the Flames are coming off a 4th straight win after opening the pre-season with a loss. The lineups haven't been released yet, but one thing is certain, new Canucks captain Roberto Luongo will not be in the lineup, as he suffered a minor groin tweak in a colision with Jannik Hansen in practice yesterday. Expect the Sedin/Sedin/Bernier line tonight, as they were dominant in San Jose, as well as Pavol Demitra, possibly on a line with Mason Raymond and either Taylor Pyatt or Kyle Wellwood. The big buzz on the Flames is some of the new faces in the lineup, and whether they can replace some of the players that departed, most notably Kristian Huselius, Alex Tanguay and Stephan Yelle. It's up to Todd Bertuzzi, Rene Bourque and Mike Cammalleri to step up. The Flames have gotten younger, with the additions to the lineup as well as returning youngsters like Eric Nystrom and Dustin Boyd. If Calgary has a weak link it's on defence. Sure they still have Robyn Regehr and Dion Phaneuf, but Adrian Aucoin is injury-prone and after that it's Mark Giordano, Cory Sarich and Jim Vandermere. Once again the Flames will rely heavily on Miikka Kiprusoff, who was sub-par last year after signing a huge contract extension. This year he is the highest paid goalie in the NHL and if he doesn't play like it the Flames are in serious trouble. Curtis Joseph is gone as back up, meaning Curtis McElhinney will get the support role, but if he fails to impress as he did last season, don't be surprised to see the Flames shopping for a goalie.

The key to tonight's game will be the line matching. Both teams will likely ice lineups close to what they will start the season with, so the pressure will be on players like Jarome Iginla and the Sedins to shine, as well as players on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th lines to take advantage of their TOI. It should be a typical Canucks/Flames match; spirited, a little nasty and a lot of fun to watch. One of these teams will leave with their 5th win of the preseason tonight, and the beauty is, TSN is carrying it, puck drop is at 7pm.