Tonight in Denver is the rubber match of the Flames mini-series with the Avalanche (7PM MT, RSN West). David Moss will not be in the lineup; he was hit from behind by Ossi Vaananen on Saturday and has -- well, let's hear it from Coach Playfair (this is the most detailed injury report you'll hear from a coach this season):

"His lips were all cut and split and his face was swollen up so we want to be really cautious with David," said Flames head coach Jim Playfair. "He took a nasty whack and was a little bit woozy after."

Apparently the Colin Campbell Wheel of Justice landed on "No Suspension", so Vaananen will likely be in the lineup for the Avs.

The only thing that has really interested me in this little series is Joe Sakic. Dude is still impressive. Did you know that he's on pace for his best season, statistically, since 2000-01 (when he won the Hart Trophy)? I'm sure he's getting a bigger chunk of PP time than he used to, owing to the lack of alternatives in the Avs' forward group, but still. Forget about things like leadership, intangibles, etc: he's extremely effective and dangerous. And that release is still something else.

**There was a bit of discussion in the comments at Lowetide's site about Flames backup goaltending. He might prove me wrong, but I just don't see Sutter acquiring another G.

The backup G position is important for (1) starter relief and (2) injury insurance. With nearly 3/4 of the season passed and a playoff spot pretty much locked up, (1) has become moot. Even if Playfair was to start the backup 6 times over the remaining 23 games (yeah right), I'm not that the upgrade would be measurable over such a small sample.

Insurance, of course, is a waste of money when you don't need it and critically important when you do. The difference between this and "real" insurance is that you don't actually know what the payout will be even if you do need it. Lowetide's commenters think that Jussi Rebounds would be an upgrade over Noodles. Let's say they're right -- by how much? Closer to marginal than massive, right? (Jussi's coach has started him 8 times this season -- that's 3 more starts than McLennan -- even though the guy he's relieving is 7 years older than Kipper and had a lot more struggles.)

So you take that marginal upgrade, and multiply that by the "chance he'll be needed", and what is that worth, exactly (whether you're talking prospects, draft picks, or just $$$)? It can't be that much.

If Kipper goes down for 6 months, there's plenty in the archives for me to point at and say, "I told you so", but it's basically too late now. Unless you can pick up a goalie that would be a definite, substantial, and obvious upgrade over McLennan (or Krahn/McElhinney if you prefer), AND not give up that much for him, it looks to me like a waste of time.

Can the Flames pick up their big 8th road win tonight? I suspect they can, provided that they stay out of penalty trouble. Call it Calgary 5 (Lombardi x2, Iginla, Ritchie, Phaneuf) Colorado 2 (career #601 & 602). Go Flames.