Flames at Hurricanes
Trying to figure out which NHL team has the most road wins this season may take a few guesses - that is, unless you're a Calgary Flames fan. The Flames look for their league-high eighth road victory on Monday night as they face the Carolina Hurricanes. Calgary continued its run as one of the league's early-season surprises with a 6-4 victory in Florida on Saturday, while the Hurricanes are coming off a 4-3 overtime defeat at Washington.
The loss to the Capitals ended Carolina's four-game winning streak, and was especially tough to swallow after the Hurricanes scored twice in a 5:15 span of the third period to erase a two-goal deficit and force extra time. And there's no time for dwelling as the Hurricanes need to be at their best Monday as they welcome a Flames team that has earned 14 of a possible 20 points away from Calgary. Carolina is no slouch at home, having gone 3-1-1 this season.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, SNW (Calgary), FS-CR (Carolina)
ABOUT THE FLAMES (9-5-2): It's one thing to have a potent offensive attack from a talented group of forwards; it's another thing altogether when a team can rely on points from its blue line. Calgary is blessed with not one, but two elite offensive options on defense - captain Mark Giordano leads all defensemen with 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) while T.J. Brodie is third with 14 (four goals, 10 assists). "Just the way they possess the puck, the way they break up plays," teammate Deryk Engelland said. "Definitely one of the top pairings I've played with."
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (4-6-3): Carolina could certainly use a tandem like Giordano and Brodie; the Hurricanes have just one player - center Riley Nash - with double digit points, and have received just two goals from their blue line all season. But they do have one of the best young players in the game in 19-year-old forward Elias Lindholm, who has overcome a slow start to rack up five goals and two assists over Carolina's last five games. "I saw right when he first came," captain Eric Staal said. "You could sense just the mind, the way he thinks and how he plays."
OVERTIME
1. The Flames walloped the Hurricanes 5-0 in their previous meeting Oct. 23, and have won four straight encounters dating back to December 2011.
2. Early-week action doesn't agree with Carolina, which has won just once in its last 11 games played on a Monday.
3. Giordano has one assist in five career games against the Hurricanes.