Jets at Flames
THE STORY: The Winnipeg Jets will need to find ways to win on the
road if they realistically wish to make any postseason plans. Coach
Claude Noel's club traveled to Vancouver and gave the Northwest
Division-leading Canucks a stern test before dropping a 3-2 decision
Thursday. The Jets will look to salvage their brief two-game road trip
when they visit the Calgary Flames, who sit three points of out eight
place in the Western Conference.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, TSN (Jets), RSW (Flames)
ABOUT THE JETS (32-28-8):
While Winnipeg finished a successful eight-game homestand (5-1-2) to
improve to 21-10-4 on the season, the Jets' road woes (11-18-4) may
prove to be their undoing. Winnipeg sits two points behind Southeast
Division-leading Florida and dropped out of a playoff spot in the
Eastern Conference by virtue of having one less victory than Washington.
After seeing his eight-game point streak come to an end in Monday's 3-1
win over Buffalo, left wing Evander Kane set up Kyle Wellwood for the
Jets' first goal Thursday. Kane notched a pair of assists in the team's
last meeting with Calgary, which was Feb. 3, 2011 in Atlanta.
ABOUT THE FLAMES (30-25-12):
Injuries are changing the face of Brent Sutter's team. Center Matt
Stajan, who has spent most of the season on the fourth line, was
elevated to playing alongside captain Jarome Iginla and left wing Alex
Tanguay. The move was necessitated after left wing Michael Cammalleri (upper
body) became the latest Flame felled by injury. "I’m embracing it,
trying to do the best with it, play a role," Stajan told the Calgary
Herald. "I played a lot of minutes in Toronto (as a Maple Leaf), a lot
of big minutes so it’s not new to me. Maybe it was a few years ago but
you have to make sure you’re doing a job."
OVERTIME:
1. Flames left wing Curtis Glencross has scored a
goal in each of his last five games. Should he tally again, he'll match
his career high of 24 goals, which was set last season.
2. Jets
right wing Blake Wheeler has scored in three straight contests and has
five goals in as many games. Wheeler also tallied in the teams' last
meeting.
3. Calgary goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff is one victory
shy of his seventh consecutive 30-win season. The veteran Finn has won
four of five career meetings with the Jets/Thrashers.