What a road trip.
Ground war against the Isles to start it off?
Check.
Yet another game against the high flying New Jersey Devils?
Check.
Losing to the Bruins by means of missed net opportunities?
Check that too.
The Calgary Flames returned home with an 0-2-1 record from their first real road trip of the season. A single Saturday night in Edmonton doesn’t count.
Many fans will see that they play the Winnipeg Jets tonight and think “Thank God. An easy one. This seven game losing streak must be coming to an end.…
Well, the Jets happen to be playing some immaculate defence of late. We’re talking the best defence in the NHL since the start of November. Their offence hasn’t been bad either.
Since November 1, 2022 — Winnipeg Jets Games Played: 3 GA/GP: 1.00 (1st) GF/GP: 4.00 (5th)
They’ve only allowed one goal in their last two. That single goal coming from the league’s third best offence in the Dallas Stars.
Winnipeg has also happened to have won six of their last seven.
Not ideal.
Will the Flames pull the Jets into a tight-checking game likely decided by a single goal?
Probably.
Will Calgary lose the game on one or two bad shifts?
Likely.
Will they blow a lead or two in the process?
Well, they’ve blown nine leads in seven games. It would be a surprise if they didn’t.
Surely, this early season tailspin will end, but is tonight the night? Will it be against the Kings on Monday or the Lightning after that? How about the Florida Panthers after the Lightning?
What a time to be a Flames fan. Let’s take a look at the projected lineup.
Tanev is skating on the fourth pairing and likely will miss another game. Markstrom starts.
Ruzicka-Lindholm-Toffoli Dube-Kadri-Coleman Mangiapane-Backlund-Lewis Lucic-Rooney-Ritchie Hanifin-Andersson Zadorov-Weegar Gilbert-DeSimone
Markstrom Vladar
Game time is 8:00pm mst. Luckily, this game is nationally televised on CBC. Fans across Canada may get to see Calgary earn a lead and then slowly, but surely, allow the Jets to score two unanswered goals.
Trevor Neufeld
@Trevor_Neufeld
Stats via naturalstattrick.com and nhl.com.