Blue Jackets at Flames
THE STORY: With his name being linked with various potential trading partners, Calgary Flames captain Jarome Iginla is doing his best to tune it all out. "The best way to stop the stories is to win games and climb up in the standings," the 34-year-old Iginla said. His team is starting to make strides in that direction. The Flames will vie for their third consecutive win when they host the NHL's cellar-dwelling Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. Iginla has certainly done his part against the Blue Jackets, recording more than a point per contest (48 points in 41 career games). After an admittedly slow start to the season, Iginla has collected three points in his last four games. Prior to that stretch, Iginla - like nearly all of his teammates - was held off the scoresheet in a 4-1 loss to Columbus on Nov. 21. Fast forwarding to the present, the Blue Jackets have dropped two in a row and fell to a league-worst 1-8-2 on the road this season after losing a 4-1 decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FSOH, RSNC
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (6-15-3): Try as they might, the Blue Jackets just couldn't solve Cory Schneider. Columbus recorded a franchise-high 48 shots on goal, with only one getting the better of the Vancouver netminder. "It was almost like he was made of Velcro," Blue Jackets goaltender Curtis Sanford said of his counterpart. Sanford hasn't been too shabby in his own right. He is 3-2-2 with a .939 save percentage and is expected to start on Thursday. Jeff Carter netted two of his three goals this season in the victory over the Flames 10 days ago.
ABOUT THE FLAMES (10-12-1): Miikka Kiprusoff stopped all 26 shots he faced to notch both his first shutout of the season and 286th career victory in a 1-0 triumph over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. The talented Finn can pass former Flames goaltender Dan Bouchard and move into sole possession of 30th place on the NHL list with a win on Thursday. Kiprusoff has posted a 15-5-2 career mark versus the Blue Jackets. Playing in his 28th game, Derek Smith netted his first career NHL goal for the game's only offense.
OVERTIME:
1. After collecting a plus-3 rating in eight games since his trade from the St. Louis Blues, defenseman Nikita Nikitin was on the ice for all four goals scored by the Canucks on Tuesday.
2. Calgary simply can't get its woeful power play untracked on its home ice. The Flames have failed to score on their last 26 opportunities with the man advantage and are a woeful 2-for-44 overall at Scotiabank Saddledome.