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The red-hot Calgary Flames, winners in seven of their last 10 games, return to action tonight when they play the Columbus Blue Jackets in the fourth of six consecutive road games.
The start of the trip was a disaster as the Flames were completely obliterated by the Detroit Red Wings, but they've since rebounded with consecutive wins.
They'll be looking for their third straight win against a Metro Division opponent tonight, however, it'll likely be the most difficult one to pick up.
The Blue Jackets are tied with the Devils for top spot in the Metro with 27 points, they've won four straight games, and their underlying numbers suggest they're one of the better teams in the NHL.
At 5v5, the Blue Jackets have controlled better than 52% of the shot attempts and they own an Expected Goals For% of almost 56%, which is good for 1st in the league.
They also rank 5th in the NHL with a plus-9 penalty differential, so it's not as if they'll throw away their advantage at 5v5 by taking penalties and giving extra goals back on special teams.
They're an excellent team and will be a good measuring stick for the Flames tonight.
Here are the projected lineups:
Calgary
Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Michael Ferland
Matthew Tkachuk - Mikael Backlund - Michael Frolik
Sam Bennett - Mark Jankowski - Jaromir Jagr
Kris Versteeg - Freddie Hamilton - Troy Brouwer
Mark Giordano - Dougie Hamilton
T.J. Brodie - Travis Hamonic
Brett Kulak - Michael Stone
Mike Smith
Columbus (via DailyFaceoff.com)
Boone Jenner - Brandon Dubinsky - Cam Atkinson
Artemi Panarin - Pierre-Luc Dubois - Josh Anderson
Tyler Motte - Nick Foligno - Oliver Bjorkstrand
Sonny Milano - Jordan Schroeder - Markus Hannikainen
Zach Werenski - Seth Jones
Jack Johnson - Gabriel Carlsson
Ryan Murray - Markus Nutivaara
Sergei Bobrovsky
What to watch:
1) Jankowski isn't piling up the points, but it's not for a lack of chances. Over the last nine games, he's piled up 29 chances at 5v5 and leads the team in chances/60 in that game state. If he keeps generating good looks, his name is going to find the scoresheet with more regularity moving forward.
2) Speaking of players due for a breakout, Atkinson has to be at or near the top of the list. He leads the Jackets in shots per game, chances per game, and high-danger chances (total) yet has just four goals and seven points in 17 contests. He's due for a big game.
3) The only thing worse than facing Sergei Bobrovsky is facing Sergei Bobrovsky at home. He was an absolute beast in his own building a season ago and owns a .946 save percentage on home soil this season. Mike Smith will have to be good because Calgary likely isn't going to score much.
4) The Flames rank 28th in chances against/60 and 31st in goals against/60 while killing penalties. Simply put, the penalty kill has been horrible so it's important they stay disciplined if they want to have a shot.
Puck drop is just after 7:00 eastern and can be seen on SN360 and FS-O.
Recent posts:
Gaudreau extends point-streak to 10 games, leads Flames past Capitals
Flames sign Glenn Gawdin to entry-level contract
Flames smart to replace Brouwer with Ferland on the power play
Calgary Flames Blogger • 
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