5 THINGS - FLAMES @ BLUE JACKETS
The Flames kick off a three-game trip in Ohio on Friday
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GAME DAY VIDEO
Game Day with Brendan Parker
Pregame Interviews
GAME DAY FEATURES
Projected Lineup
Say What - Johnny on Facing Flames
STAT PACK
Media Game Notes
Scoring Leaders
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Leading Scorers:
Flames:
Points - Elias Lindholm (22)
Goals - Tyler Toffoli, Nazem Kadri (10)
Blue Jackets:
Points - Johnny Gaudreau (28)
Goals - Gaudreau, Boone Jenner (9)
Special Teams:
Flames:
PP - 20.9% (24th) / PK - 80.7% (8th)
Blue Jackets:
PP - 13.9% (32nd) / PK - 75.6% (22nd)
Advanced Stats:
Flames:
Shot Attempts: 54.49% (4th)
High-Danger Chances: 52.80% (10th)
Blue Jackets:
Shot Attempts: 45.16% (29th)
High-Danger Chances: 43.88% (26th)
What a homestand.
The Flames went 4-1-0 in their five-game stint at the Scotiabank Saddledome, capping off that run with a 5-3 comeback victory over the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday.
"We said we wanted to have a good homestand, and that's what we did," Rasmus Andersson said afterwards. "We're 4-1 and there's the small stuff clicking like powerplay lately and the PK has been good, and our 5-on-5 has been better, and we've got good goalies."
The Wild jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period but the Flames took the game over in the second frame, with Nazem Kadri, Blake Coleman, and Tyler Toffoli finding the back of the net.
Minnesota was able to tie the game up in the third period but Calgary came right back after Jon Merrill's goal, with Andersson scoring the eventual game-winner just 12 seconds later. Toffoli added an empty-netter to ice the win.
"A great bounce-back by our group," was netminder Dan Vladar's assessment. "We've just got to be proud."
Vladar was in net for the four victories on home ice, making 101 saves on 110 shots, good for a .918 save percentage.
Video: Lots of big storylines in tonight's tilt
The Blue Jackets head into tonight's tilt on a three-game losing skid, dropping a 4-2 decision to Detroit on Sunday, falling 4-1 in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, and suffering a 9-4 setback to Buffalo on Wednesday.
"We (stunk) pretty much the whole game, and you can definitely see that in the scoreboard," Patrik Laine told NHL.comafter Wednesday's loss. "It's just embarrassing how we played."
Buffalo's Tage Thompson put on a show at Nationwide Arena, scoringpfive goals and six points in 13:56 of ice time.
"In 26 years pro, I've never seen that," Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen told NHL.com. "We didn't have an answer for that one line. Tage Thompson just tore us up tonight."
With a 8-15-2 record and 18 points, Columbus sits last in the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference.
While their team record isn't where they would like, there have been bright spots for the club. Johnny Gaudreau leads the Blue Jackets with 28 points through 25 games, rookie Kent Johnson has posted 13 points through 22 skates, and since returning from an injury on Dec. 2, Laine has scored four goals and five points through four games.
BIG HITTERS: Nikita Zadorov leads the skaters in tonight's game with 67 hits on the season. MacKenzie Weegar trails his fellow blueliner with 60 checks while Trevor Lewis rounds out the Flames' top three hitters with 59 in 26 games. Blue Jackets forward Sean Kuraly leads his club with 61 while Zadorov's former defence partner Erik Gudbranson, who signed a four-year deal with Columbus in the off-season, has 47 hits on the year.
Video: "It's a normal hockey game for me"
ALL OF THAT RAZZLE DAZZLE:The Flames have won 10 straight games when Rasmus Andersson scores a goal, with the most recent victory coming on Wednesday when he potted the game-winner against Minnesota. He is currently tied for third among all NHL skaters with three game-winning tallies this season.
BATTLING THE BLUE JACKETS: Nazem Kadri has found plenty of success against the Blue Jackets throughout his career, averaging a point-per-game through 21 games against Columbus.
PHILLY'S HERE: On Thursday, the Flames recalled Matthew Phillips from the Wranglers. The forward is the AHL's leading scorer, with 15 goals and 30 points through 20 games. He was selected in the sixth round of the 2016 NHL Draft by his hometown Flames and has played 219 games in the AHL, scoring 82 goals and 191 points in his pro career.
Video: "It's always a good day when you get that call"
Flames - Rasmus Andersson
The blueliner has been superb all season and is coming off one of his best performances of the year, a three-point outing against the Wild on Wednesday. In 26 games, Andersson leads all Flames defencemen with 20 points.
Blue Jackets - Johnny Gaudreau
The former Flame is leading the Blue Jackets in scoring with 28 points through 25 games. He heads into his first game against Calgary with a six-game point streak, in which he has 10 points.
Dan Vladar on working alongside Jacob Markstrom:
"He's just been awesome. I can't ask for a better guy. I know he's ready and when he gets the shot, he's going to perform really, really well, like he's done the past year and a half that I've been here with him."
