A Case of the Mondays: Big Tease

The Flames are back home tonight to take on the Nashville Predators, enjoying a two-game winning streak during which they’ve scored ten goals in regulation and climbed to within one point of the likes of Columbus and Los Angeles and within five points of a playoff spot. Despite the home team’s recent spate of good fortune, they haven’t been dominant by any means in their past two games, and a Predators club that has been playing pretty good hockey recently could present quite the challenge for them tonight. Nashville currently sits in fourth place in the West with sixty points, and are 8-2-0 in their past ten games with a three-game winning streak to their name. The Preds have been particularly good on the road this season, with a mark of 16-11-1 away from home. They’ve been scoring less than the Flames at 2.62 goals/game, but also allowing less thanks to goaltender Pekka Rinne, who boasts a sparkling .930 EV SV%.

By all indications, the Predators are again overachieving to a degree this season. They've been outshot in 25 games this season and their powerplay has been mediocre, balanced out by a top-ten PK unit. The Flames have had some trouble converting on their chances against hot goalies recently, and Rinne has been just that, with four wins and just seven goals allowed in his past five games. Tonight's game could prove to be a frustrating affair for the Flames, who needed overtime to beat the Predators 1-0 back on October 16th in the lone meeting between the two clubs so far this season. 

Links after the jump.

Everything is going just swimmingly in Flamesland…for the time being [Hit The Post]

A well-know Calgary sports radio personality has moved on, and do the Flames still have a shot at landing a pick in the Draft lottery? [Dome Beers]

Here’s to you, Tim Jackman [Dome Sweet Dome]

Toronto’s Mike Komisarek is in legal trouble again, this time for allegedly punching a woman in the face in an L.A. nightclub [The National Post]

Peter Forsberg is back…again [Puck Daddy] 

How does a coaching change influence a team's underlying stats? [Behind the Net]

The "SouthLeast" is no longer the NHL's worst division [The Globe & Mail]

Quebec City could be getting a new arena sooner rather than later thanks to a boost from media conglomerate Quebecor [CBC Sports]

Dion Phaneuf appears to be regaining his form after recovering from a nasty leg injury [The National Post]

Which NHL teams are in dire need of a style upgrade? [HOTH]

Judging by his recent on-ice behaviour, Hitmen alum Justin Pogge‘s mental stability is uh…questionable [Puck Daddy]

Happy Monday! Have a great week everyone and make sure to stick around for tonight's Game Thread! 

by Hayley Mutch