Flames prospect Jakob Pelletier could be making his NHL debut Saturday
The highly anticipated, long-awaited NHL debut for Jakob Pelletier might come to fruition Saturday.
Pelletier, who was recalled by the Calgary Flames on January 7 before being scratched in six straight games, skated on a line with veteran Trevor Lewis and fellow call-up Walker Duehr in practice on Friday — an indicator he could lace ’em up on NHL ice for the first time against the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning in Saturday’s matinee affair.
The 21-year-old, who was the No. 26 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, has 34 points (15 goals, 19 assists) in 31 games with the Calgary Wranglers of the American Hockey League this season.
Pelletier said he wasn’t “100% sure” he’d be playing against the Lightning, according to Wes Gilbertson of Postmedia, and associate coach Kirk Muller said “you’ll know tomorrow afternoon,” according to Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960.
The Flames won’t hold a morning skate prior to the 1 pm MT puck drop.
Pelletier’s addition to the lineup could leave Adam Ruzicka as a healthy scratch. Ruzicka, who is ninth on the team with 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) and sixth in points-per-game (0.56), skated in practice as the extra forward.
Head coach Darryl Sutter left his remaining three lines intact, meaning Elias Lindholm centred Dillon Dube and Tyler Toffoli, Nazem Kadri skated between Jonathan Huberdeau and Milan Lucic, and Mikael Backlund worked with Andrew Mangiapane on left and Blake Coleman on right.
Here’s how the Flames practiced on Friday:
Dillon Dube — Elias Lindholm — Tyler Toffoli
Milan Lucic — Nazem Kadri — Jonathan Huberdeau
Andrew Mangiapane — Mikael Backlund — Blake Coleman
Jakob Pelletier — Trevor Lewis — Walker Duehr
Adam Ruzicka
Noah Hanifin — Rasmus Andersson
MacKenzie Weegar — Chris Tanev
Nikita Zadorov — Michael Stone
Connor Mackey
Jacob Markstrom
Dan Vladar
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