1. Finish Off On A High Note
The Flames are 1-2 on this four-game road trip after two straight losses to the St. Louis Blues and are aiming to end on a winning note tonight against one of the top teams in the league (more on the Western Conference leading Jets below in Know Your Enemy).
It's no small task.
"They're a very good team ... they deserve full marks for being where they are right now, because they they play a really strong offensive game with a lot of pace, but they're very good defensively," said Flames head coach Ryan Huska after the team's practice Friday afternoon at the Canada Life Centre. "They don't give up a lot, so they make it difficult for teams that that come in here, in particular.
"So I think we have to be excited about the challenge and the opportunity to make sure that we're coming to play our game for a full 60 minutes."
When asked about the challenges the formidable Jets pose, their structure was keyed on by Huska.
"Well, it makes it hard to play against," he explained. "You know, I think the structure side of the game ... let me say, structure is winning hockey. When teams are detailed, they play the right way consistently over time, it's hard to play against. And that's the way we're trying to make our team is we want to be a team that's hard to play against as well.
"So when you're playing against a team that's very structured, you have to stay patient, you have to stay with your game, and you have to make sure you have a lot of discipline with that as well. So I'm looking forward to (the game) to see how we're going to do."
The two teams met earlier this season way back on Oct. 26, when the Jets clipped the Flames 5-3.
Mikael Backlund gave the Flames the lead just 28 seconds into the contest, but the Jets would answer shortly after and add one more later in the frame to lead 2-1 at the intermission. Rasmus Andersson would tie things up again with a sharp angle shot to knot the game at twos through 40.
In the third, the Jets once again took the lead before Nazem Kadri scored his then-fourth on the campaign to even things up. However, Winnipeg scored a late powerplay goal and added an empty netter for the victory.