Game Thread #11 - Blue Jackets vs. Flames
The Jackets take the ice at Nationwide tonight at 7 PM. The Flames come calling, fresh off a big win in Detroit on Tuesday.
So, Tuesday night was not fun, at least for the last 40 minutes or so. Perhaps tonight can be better?
The Jackets catch a break in that they don't have to go against Miikka Kiprusoff, but Calgary's offense is moving along at a nice clip. The Jackets get Nikita Niktiin back tonight on defense, which should help offset some of the issues from the other night.
Conversely, the Flames' defense--Tuesday's win notwithstanding--has been their definite weak spot. Their PK is 29th in the league. They're starting a goalie with seven NHL starts under his belt.
In short, they need to create some scoring chances tonight. They need to test Leland Irving early and often.
Most of all, they need to not get outworked, which is something they did on Tuesday. For a team that has to hang its hat on effort, not having enough was not acceptable. Let's hope that changes tonight.