Preview: Calgary Flames vs Toronto Maple Leafs 11/30/16 (26/82)

Calgary Flames vs Toronto Maple Leafs, 6:30 PM MT, Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary AB

The Flames are finally back home after a 9 day, 6 game road trip that took them through the Eastern Conference. Calgary finished a respectable 3-2-1 on the trip, dropping the final game of the trek 2-1 to the Islanders in OT. While being home sounds nice for the Flames, the Saddledome hasn’t been a comforting place so far for the home team. Calgary is 3-7-0 at home, but the Flames are 41-24-5 all time against the Leafs in the Dome and they’re 4-1-0 in their last 5 against Toronto at home. The Flames have been very inconsistent so far this season and it has shown in their up and down record. The good guys have dropped 2 in a row, the 5th time they’ve lost 2 or more in a row this year. If the Flames are going to get back on track they need to start scoring. They’ve scored 2 goals or less 7 times in their last 10 games (5-4-1 record).

The Maple Leafs find themselves 2 games over .500 and gaining confidence with each win. The Leafs started out cold in October, but have really taken off in the month of November. They’ve won 8 of the 13 games they have played and have had win streaks of 2 or more 3 times this month. They’re currently on the 3rd of those winning streaks (2 in a row) and Toronto has outscored their opponents 8-4 over that stretch.

Here’s how the teams match-up:

Calgary Flames 1 NY Islanders 2 (OT)

The Flames last played on Monday night and lost to the NY Islanders 2-1 in OT. This was the final game of their 6 game road trip and the second back to back of the trip. Sean Monahan got the monkey off his back and scored a goal, but it wasn’t enough to sink the Isles. Brian Elliott made 25 saves, but he still found himself on the losing end, dropping him to 3-9-1 on the season. Here’s our recap, the highlights, Brian Elliott post game and stats from the contest.

Toronto Maple Leafs 4 Edmonton Oilers 2

The Maple Leafs won their 2nd straight as they went into Edmonton and took down the Oilers 4-2. Frederik Andersen stopped 28 of 30 and Auston Matthews got this 10th goal of the season to pace the Leafs. Pension Plan Puppets has the recap and NHL.com provides the highlights.

Players To Watch

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Calgary Flames: Mark Jankowski (C). Jankowski was solid in his first NHL game Monday night against the Islanders. He didn’t register a point or a shot, but he looked like he belonged in an NHL rink and didn’t shrink from the moment. If he makes the lineup tonight it will be interesting to see how he handles playing in front of the home crowd for the 1st time. He’s been outstanding in Stockton this season where he had 12 points in 13 games.

Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

Toronto Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews (C). The #1 overall pick entered the league with a bang (4 goal in his debut) and then went silent for a while. In his last 5 games he has 5 points, including a 3 point (2 G 1 A) game in a 5-4 loss to the NJ Devils. He’s also been on the + side or even in 9 straight games.