Jarome Iginla rumors won't go away. As he's so aptly described, only wins will end the rumors. Right now the Flames sit at 2 straight wins after victories over the league leading Wild and the tight Predators. The possibility exists tonight at home for the Flames to actually post their first 3 game winning streak of the season. Accomplish that and they'll move to within a single game of .500, and tie themselves with the plummeting Colorado Avalanche for 12th place in the conference.
The only obstacle standing between the Flames and their third consecutive win is the last place team in the NHL: The Columbus Blue Jackets. That actually does pose a problem, since the Jackets were able to easily handle the Flames 4-1 just 9 days ago. It's a loss that started the Flames on a devastating three game losing streak that had fans calling for heads after the Flames had posted an impressive victory against the then NHL leading Chicago Blackhawks in the game before that November 21st tilt in Columbus.
One glaring issue with the Jackets record is their abysmal 1-8-2 record away from. If the Flames can come out with jump from the drop of the puck, they may be able to take advantage of the Jackets fragile road psyche. Columbus' win against the Flames came in the middle of a short resurgence the team had when Curtis Sanford took over between the pipes and the team surged through a great 4-1-2 streak, since then, however, the Jackets have lost consecutive games and are coming into tonight with a possibility of having their own 3 game streak, albeit a losing one.
In their last meeting Curtis Sanford was clearly the difference, stopping 27 of 28 shots. Unlike last game, the Flames will be starting Miikka Kiprusoff as opposed to Henrik Karlsson, so that may give the home side a little extra boost.
If the Flames can finally get a powerplay goal at home, that could go a long way to deciding this game, especially if it's an early one.
Have a great day!
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