Music: {allcanada} Blue Jackets-Flames Preview

Thursday, March 3, 2011

{allcanada} Blue Jackets-Flames Preview

	STATS
63	GP	66
31	W	33
25	L	24
7	OT	9
69	P	75
0.548	P%	0.568
2.68	G/G	2.92
2.90	GA/G	2.76
15.4	PP%	17.8
81.2	PK%	82.1
30.4	S/G	30.2
30.0	SA/G	28.2
51.5	FO%	48.2
BUY CBJ PHOTOS › \| BUY CGY PHOTOS ›

DATE	VIS/HOME	FINAL
Dec 21, 2010	CGY@CBJ	CBJ, 3 - 1
Dec 13, 2010	CBJ@CGY	CGY, 3 - 2
Oct 22, 2010	CGY@CBJ	CGY, 6 - 2

After a pair of impressive defensive performances earlier this week, the Calgary Flames struggled in a loss to a fellow Western Conference playoff contender.

Playing solid defense hasn't been a problem in recent matchups against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Finding consistent scoring has proved more difficult.

Calgary will try to build off a strong ending from its latest game when the Blue Jackets visit the Scotiabank Saddledome on Friday night.

The Flames (33-24-9) blanked the Blues in both games of a home-and-home series, 1-0 on Sunday followed by a 6-0 rout Tuesday in St. Louis. The next night, though, Calgary gave up four goals in the first two periods en route to a 6-4 loss in Chicago.

The Flames head into Friday's play tied for seventh in the West with Nashville at 75 points - one behind the Blackhawks, Los Angeles and Phoenix, all tied for fourth. Calgary also is one point ahead of Dallas and Minnesota, both currently in ninth, and two points in front of 11th-place Anaheim. Columbus is 12th with 69 points.

With the race so tight, Flames coach Brent Sutter was disappointed with the outcome.

"We gave up over 20 quality scoring chances and that's not good enough," he said. "When you score four goals on the road, you need to buckle down. You need to win the game."

Sutter's team showed some fight, scoring three times in the third period to nearly erase a three-goal deficit. The Flames got within one goal twice, but couldn't find the equalizer.

"Going into the third period everybody in our room believed we could come back and we almost did," said captain Jarome Iginla, who recorded his second straight three-point game. "We didn't win the game. But at the same time, this year - especially in the last 30 games or two months or so - we've felt like whatever the score is we can come back."

Iginla has three goals and eight assists in his last six games against the Blue Jackets, the most recent being a 3-1 loss Dec. 21 in Columbus.

The Flames have allowed three goals or fewer in seven consecutive matchups with the Blue Jackets, but have lost three, scoring two times or fewer in each of those defeats.

Iginla scored his second goal of the game in overtime of a 3-2 win Dec. 13. With that, Calgary improved to 10-1-2 in its last 13 at home with the Blue Jackets.

The Flames, though, might have to try to add to that mark without center Brendan Morrison, who left in the third period Wednesday after hurting his knee. Morrison is third on the team with 34 assists and fourth with 43 points.

That could lead to Fredrik Modin making his Calgary debut against one of his former teams. Modin, who played three-plus seasons with Columbus, was acquired from Atlanta on Monday for a seventh-round draft pick.

If he plays, Modin will face a Blue Jackets team that's struggled to score during their season-high, five-game road trip.

A 4-2 loss to Edmonton on Thursday gave Columbus (31-25-7) just five goals during its 0-2-1 start to that trek. Scottie Upshall, though, has two of those since being coming over from Phoenix in a four-player deal Monday.

"I don't think we were prepared for the game," forward Derek Dorsett said. "We got sloppy and were turning too many pucks over."

Calgary has earned at least one point in 21 of 25 games (15-4-6), while Columbus has done the same in 15 of 20 contests. (11-5-4).