Devils at Flames
The Calgary Flames appear to have found the right formula for winning at home and attempt to apply it again when they host the New Jersey Devils on Friday. Calgary fell to 8-10-0 at Scotiabank Saddledome with a loss to Anaheim on Dec. 29 but has posted four consecutive victories in its own building, including a 3-2 triumph over San Jose on Wednesday.
After having his nine-game point streak snapped in a shutout loss at Winnipeg on Monday, 19-year-old rookie Matthew Tkachuk got right back on his horse against the Sharks while recording a goal and an assist to give him two and 10, respectively, over his last 11 contests. New Jersey began the month in good fashion, allowing one goal in a pair of victories, but has followed with a winless streak that reached four games (0-2-2) after Thursday's 3-2 overtime setback at Edmonton in the opener of its four-game road trip. Taylor Hall notched an assist in his return to Edmonton after being traded last summer and Travis Zajac tallied as the duo remained tied for the team lead with 26 points apiece. The goal was the first in 19 games for Zajac, who hadn't scored since recording a hat trick at Chicago on Dec. 1.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, MSG Plus 2 (New Jersey), Sportsnet West (Calgary)
ABOUT THE DEVILS (16-18-9): Thursday was a night of firsts for several members of the team, including defenseman Steven Santini, who scored his first goal in seven career games. It also marked the NHL debut of forward Blake Coleman, who recorded one shot, blocked another and came away even on six faceoffs in 11 minutes, 49 seconds of ice time. Finally, defenseman Karl Stollery - who hadn't played in the league since splitting the 2014-15 season between Colorado and San Jose - appeared in his first game as a Devil after signing a one-year contract in July and finished with a plus-1 rating in 15:59 of action.
ABOUT THE FLAMES (23-19-2): Troy Brouwer could be back in the lineup Friday as the veteran right wing was medically cleared to return from a fractured finger. The 31-year-old, who fell two tallies shy of his third straight 20-goal season in 2015-16 and has scored at least 17 in each of the last seven campaigns, recorded six points in his first eight games but only 11 in 28 contests prior to suffering the injury on Dec. 23. Calgary may be without Micheal Ferland, however, as the 24-year-old left wing missed Thursday's practice after sustaining a lower-body injury in the win over San Jose.
OVERTIME
1. Flames D Dennis Wideman is three goals shy of 100 for his career.
2. New Jersey LW Mike Cammalleri is tied for second on the team with 10 goals but has recorded only one in his last 19 contests.
3. Calgary has allowed a total of six goals during its home winning streak.