Columbus Blue Jackets (13–7–1) vs. Calgary Flames (12–8–0)
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2017, 7 p.m. (NATIONWIDE ARENA)
Despite not having their best stuff lately, the Blue Jackets have found a way to keep the ball rolling in the right direction.
They've won four straight games entering Wednesday's game against the Calgary Flames, who are playing quite well in their own right. The Flames are coming off a come-from-behind overtime win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday and an authoritative win over the Washington Capitals on Monday in D.C., as their eastern road trip winds to a close. They've won six of nine games away from the Saddledome this season, fueled largely by Johnny Gaudreau, the NHL's third-leading scorer who continues to put the heat on Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos.
You Oughta Know: Johnny Gaudreau
Who else?
The Flames' leading scorer is their most dangerous player. He's riding a career-best 10-game points scoring streak and driving the Calgary offense. He has nine more points than Sean Monahan, the next closest Flame to his scoring crown, and is second on the team in goals with 10 (behind only Monahan).
Fast Facts
- The Blue Jackets swept the two-game set with Calgary in 2016-17.
- Columbus has not allowed a power play goal in its last four games.
- Artemi Panarin has goals in two straight games, as well as goals in three of his last five games overall.
Previous Matchups
THIS YEAR: First meeting
LAST YEAR: Blue Jackets won both meetings
Keys to the Game
ONE: A better start. Is this a broken record? You better believe it. The Blue Jackets have been poor out of the gate for most of the last month, and they need to reverse that trend – especially on home ice.
TWO: Manage the puck. The Flames are an aggressive and fast team that will make its opponents pay for mistakes; the Blue Jackets have been pretty good in this area lately and that needs to continue against a good Calgary team.
THREE: Move your legs. The Blue Jackets aren't drawing enough penalties and it's because they haven't skated as well as they have in earlier games. When they're skating and forechecking well, it's hell for their opponents. They need to get back to that tonight.
Flames Projected Lineup
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Johnny Gaudreau | 20 GP, 10-21-31 | 23 | Sean Monahan | 20 GP, 12-10-22 | 79 | Michael Ferland | 19 GP, 8-4-12 |
| 19 | Matthew Tkachuk | 19 GP, 4-11-15 | 19 | Mikael Backlund | 20 GP, 5-9-14 | 67 | Michael Frolik | 20 GP, 4-5-9 |
| 93 | Sam Bennett | 20 GP, 1-2-3 | 77 | Mark Jankowski | 12 GP, 3-1-4 | 68 | Jaromir Jagr | 11 GP, 1-5-6 |
| 10 | Kris Versteeg | 20 GP, 3-5-8 | 25 | Freddie Hamilton | 3 GP, 0-1-1 | 36 | Troy Brouwer | 20 GP, 0-3-3 |
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Mark Giordano | 20 GP, 3-5-8 | 27 | Dougie Hamilton | 20 GP, 2-8-10 |
| 7 | TJ Brodie | 20 GP, 2-12-14 | 3 | Travis Hamonic | 17 GP, 1-1-2 |
| 61 | Brett Kulak | 12 GP, 0-3-3 | 26 | Michael Stone | 20 GP, 1-1-2 |
| # | Player | GS | W-L-OL | GAA | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Mike Smith | 18 | 11-6-0 | 2.61 | .922 | 1 |
| 31 | Eddie Lack | 2 | 1-2-0 | 5.29 | .813 | 0 |
