Preview: Calgary Flames @ Columbus Blue Jackets 11/22/17 (21/82): League’s Worst PP vs League’s Worst PK

Calgary Flames @ Columbus Blue Jackets, 5 PM MT, Nationwide Arena, Columbus OH

It’s game 4 of Calgary’s 6 game trek out East and they have handled the trip well so far. The Flames are 3-1-0 on the road and are looking dominant when winning. The Flames have scored 5 PPG (4 belonging to Sean Monahan) in their last 2 games and have seen a struggling man up unit rise to 10th in the NHL when it was near the bottom only a week ago. And yes, the PK is dead last, but the Flames have killed off the last 4 penalties the team has taken, so there’s something to be said for that.

The Blue Jackets are either hot or cold. There doesn’t seem to be a middle ground for them lately. The Jackets are on a 4 game winning streak that comes on the heels of a 4 game losing streak. It doesn’t get much more streaky than that. They’ve also played 7 games beyond regulation this season and they’ve won 6 of those contests. Where the Flames PK is mired in a slump, Columbus’ PP is equally as bad. They currently have only 6 PPG in 58 chances with the extra skater. That’s one less PPG than Calgary has in their last 2 games.

While these two don’t have a huge sample size of games against each other, the Flames are 8-5-0 in their last 13 trips to Ohio, including a 2 game winning streak there.

What’s Happening With The Opposition?

Last Time Out

Calgary Flames 4 Washington Capitals 1

The Flames last took to the ice on Monday night and defeated the Washington Capitals 4-1. Calgary got goals from Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Mikael Backlund and Mark Giordano as they continued to pile up goals. Here’s our recap and the highlights from NHL.com

Columbus Blue Jackets 3 Buffalo Sabres 2

The Blue Jackets rolled into Buffalo for a rare 1 game road trip and walked out with a 3-2 victory over the Sabres. The win was Columbus’ 4th in a row as they continued their climb back up towards the top of the Eastern Conference. The Cannon has the recap and NHL.com provides the highlights.

Players To Watch

Calgary Flames

Sean Monahan (C). How many PPG will Mony score tonight? The Flames associate captain has 4 PPG in his last 2 games. Monahan has become a fixture out in front of the opponents net and while he was very good hands and can score the pretty goals, he’s best when he’s causing chaos out front and putting in loose pucks. He hasn’t fared well against the Jackets, only collecting 2 points in their last 4 meetings.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Artemi Panarin (F). Panarin has 3 goals in his last 4 games and he leads the Blue Jackets in points with 15. He’s played very well at home, collecting 7 points in 10 games. In his last 6 games against the Flames he has 2 goals and 2 assists.

by Mark Parkinson