Quick and dirty pre-game here, since Im somewhat detained by other matters today...
Thanks to being smack in the middle of the February doldrums, there's a risk that the Flames will be less than motivated during the match this evening. Not too mention they frequently fail to show up on the road anyhow.
Matt thinks, and one can hope, this won't be the case, but Im not so sure. The emotional boost from the Conroy trade and Iginla return have probably faded. The play-offs are still 30 games away. Half the team is probably hurting from miscellaneous bumps and bruises. And Columbus is a tough opponent to give a crap about at this point.
On the other hand, the BJ's have been embarrassed by three straight losses, particularly the 6-2 ass-whipping they absorbed at the hands of the Flames last week. A pissed off Hitchcock team with nothing to lose makes me a bit nervous. Especially when I glance at the eyesore of an away record sported by Calgary.
That said, I'll half-heartedly go with a 3-2 Calgary victory (Iginla, Tanguay, Moss). This is the most "winnable" contest on the this 3 game roadtrip, so I can't bring myself to believe Calgary will come away empty handed.
GO FLAMES!
