Calgary faces the Hitchcockian Blue Jackets tonight, who are an unimpressive 1-2-0 under their new taskmaster.
While I agree with the Hat that Hitchcock has the ability to turn things around in Ohio, I don't think the BJ's are anything to fear just yet. They are 1-8-1 in their last 10 games and 2-8-o away from home. They have the worst GF mark in the league (49), despite boasting some relatively impressive young talent in Zherdev, Nash, Brule and Klesla. And although their roster also includes guys like Segei Federov, Anson Carter and Freddy Modin, the team's top point getter is actually David Vyborny, who boasts 4 goals and 14 assists for 18 points. Speaking of Carter, he's doing everything in his power to convince the hockey world that his career season last year had more to do with playing on a line with the Sedin twins in Vancouver and little or nothing to do with his own ability. So far this season he has 3 goals and 7 points - less than Duvie Westcott. That's approaching Friesen-type suckage.
Owing to their inability to score, almost no one on the Blue Jacket's roster is a plus player. The leader in that category is, oddly, ex-Flame-cast-off Anders Eriksson with +3. Two other nobodies are in the black (Hartigan, Tollefson) while Adam Foote, with a -16 mark, brings up the rear. Rick Nash, the youngest guy to win a Rocket Richard trophy, has all of 7 goals so far this year is a -6. Such is the state of the car wreck in Columbus.
Course, Calgary is one of the few teams Columbus has beaten this year. In fact, it was the 5-4 S/O defeat that ignited the Flames 6 game winning streak back at the start of November. Anyone who watched the contest knows that 2 goats - Calgary's PK and the rustiness of Jamie McLennan - handed the BJ's the game. Even then, it took many, many rounds in the shoot-out to come to the decision.
This time around, Columbus will be facing Miikka Kiprusoff and a Flames team that is far more adept at special teams (since the game's at the Dome, of course). In their last 4 home victories, Calgary has scored 8 PPG's while only allowing 2 PPG's against.
I think it's fair to expect a Calgary win tonight. The BJ's have the worst record in the league, are terrible on the road and can't score to save their lives. The Flames are tops at preventing goals at ES and have beaten the likes of Anaheim, Dallas, Detroit and Colorado at home recently. Expect at least a 2 goal margin this evening.
As for myself, Im going with a 3 goal victory:
Flames - 4, Blue Jackets - 1. Lombardi, Tanguay, Kobasew and Lundmark for the Flames. Zherdev for the Jackets.
Go Flames!
Visit Army of Ohio for a view from the other side.
