5 THINGS - FLAMES @ JETS

FLAMES (22-12-3) at JETS (24-10-2)

US

The Flames are coming off a 3-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, but continue to lead the Pacific Division by two points over the San Jose Sharks, thanks to a 7-3-1 record in the month of the December. This is only the second time in the last 25 years the Flames have been at the top of their division at the holiday break. The last time it happened was 10 years when the 19-11-4 Flames led the Northwest Division by one point over the Vancouver Canucks, according to NHL.com. … "Bottom line is that we've had a good season up to this point, but we feel like we're going into the break on a little bit of a slide," said captain Mark Giordano. "We haven't won in the last three. We've got to get our energy back, our legs back. It's a big game coming out of the break, against Winnipeg. You don't want to let things like this keep going. We want to get back in the win column as soon as possible, turn it back around." … Giordano has been held without a point in each of his last three games, but is still tied for third in scoring among defenceman with 35 points (6G, 29A) in 35 games. … On Saturday, Matthew Tkachuk scored the game's lone goal for the homeside off a great feed from Elias Lindholm on a first-period powerplay. Goaltender Mike Smith made his first start in 10 days after missing a few days of action with an undisclosed injury. He made 24 saves on 27 shots, and suffered his first loss in eight starts. … Including tonight, the Flames will play five of their next seven games on the road.

THEM

The Jets are coming out of the Christmas break as the team to beat in the West, winning 10 of their 12 games in the month of December and leading the Central Division by four points over the banged-up Nashville Predators. … Five days ago, Mark Scheifele broke a 0-0 tie with a minute and a half left in regulation, while former Flames draft pick Laurent Brossoit picked up his first-career NHL shutout with a 40-save effort to give the Jets a 1-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks to close out a three-game road trip. Scheifele is now tied for third with five game-winning goals on the year, with a league-leading four of them coming in December. With Saturday's win, Brossoit improved to 8-1-1 on the year, along a .939 save percentage and a 2.11 goals-against average. … Last year's Vezina finalist, Connor Hellebuyck, is 16-9-1, and will likely get the start in goal tonight. The 25-year-old had a bit of a slow start to the year, but is quickly rounding into form, winning seven of his last nine starts. In 27 appearances, he has a .909 save percentage and a 2.90 goals-against average. … Blake Wheeler - one of the league's best passers - leads the NHL with 43 assists. The Winnipeg captain set a career high with 68 last year as part of a 91-point campaign, but is on pace to smash that total and perhaps reach the 100-point plateau for the first time in his career. The 32-year-old has 37 points (3G, 34A) in his last 24 games. … The Jets are second in the NHL with a 28.7% powerplay, and their 11 PPGs in the month of December are more than any other team. The powerplay is especially potent at home, running at a league-best 36.8%.

US VS. THEM

This is the second of three meetings. The Flames won the first encounter 6-3 back on Nov. 21 at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Matthew Tkachuk, Johnny Gaudreau, Sam Bennett and Mark Jankowskihad a goal and an assist each, while David Rittich made 37 saves. The Flames scored five straight times in the first period to become the fourth team in NHL history to score five or more goals in the first period of consecutive games. ... The Flames and Jets will close out the season series on Mar. 2 back in Winnipeg.

THIS, THAT & THE OTHER

THIS: The Flames and Jets have an eerily identical offence this year. They've both scored 127 goals; the Flames have allowed 101, while the Jets have allowed 100. ... THAT: Thirteen of the last 15 games between these two teams have been decided by two goals or more. ... THE OTHER: Mark Giordano will play in his 791st NHL game tonight, which will tie him with Theo Fleury for the fourth-most games played as a Flame in franchise history.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Flames - James Neal
'The Real Deal' coming off one of his best games of the season on Saturday against the Blues. He led the team with five shots on goal, had a 61.1% (11-7) Corsi-For percentage, and was 70% (7-3) on scoring chances. In 29 career games against the Jets, Neal has 19 goals, 28 points and has three game-winners.
Jets - Mark Scheifele
Scheifele leads the NHL in scoring in the month of December with 20 points (9G, 11A) in 12 games. He has a point in nine of Winnipeg's 12 wins this month, and had multi-point efforts in seven of those. He's only one point ahead of Johnny Gaudreau for sixth in league scoring with 49 points (22G, 27A) in 36 games overall. Of his 22 goals, five are game-winners, including three in overtime in a two-week span earlier this month. Scheifele, who plays in all situations, is currently second in ice time among forwards, averaging 22:32 per game.