Preview - Flames @ Blue Jackets

FLAMES (8-12-1) VS. BLUE JACKETS (10-4-3)
BROADCAST: 5:00 PM MT; Sportsnet West (TV), Sportsnet 960 The FAN (radio)
SEASON SERIES:Wednesday's game is the first of two meetings between the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2016-17 season. They will close out their two-game season series on Dec. 16 when the Blue Jackets make a stop at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Last year, the clubs split the season series, with the visitor collecting victories in their opponent's arena. Sam Bennett, Mikael Backlund, TJ Brodie, and Mark Giordano were tied for the lead in scoring against Columbus with two points each. On the Blue Jackets side, William Karlsson, Seth Jones and Matt Calvert had two points against the Flames last season.

FLAMES TEAM SCOPE: The Flames are in the midst of their longest road trip of the season, seeing them make stops in Detroit, Buffalo, Columbus, Boston, Philadelphia, and New York over nine nights. Calgary opened up their trek with a 3-2 win over the Red Wings on Sunday but fell 4-2 to the Sabres on Monday. With the setback in Buffalo, the Flames record sits at 8-12-1 and their 17 points on the season has them sitting fifth in Pacific Division and three points shy of the Minnesota Wild, who hold the second Wildcard spot in the Western Conference. Michael Frolik leads the team in scoring with 6 goals and 14 points in 21 games. Johnny Gaudreau (5 goals, 11 points) and Dougie Hamilton (2 goals, 10 points) round out the top three in team scoring. Goaltender Chad Johnson has earned a fair share of the starts in recent games and now holds a 5-3-1 record with a 2.31 GAA and a .911 save percentage.
BLUE JACKETS TEAM SCOPE:Columbus is off to the hot start, going 10-4-3 and sitting in the first Wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference with 23 points. They have been strong on home ice, going 7-2-1 at Nationwide Arena, and have seven wins in their last eight games in Ohio. Seven Blue Jackets skaters have reached the 10-point mark this season: Nick Foligno (7 goals, 18 points), Cam Atkinson (7 goals, 17 points), Alex Wennberg (3 goals, 17 points), Zach Werenski (5 goals, 15 points), Brandon Saad (4 goals, 14 points), Sam Gagner (7 goals, 12 points), and Scott Hartnell (4 goals, 10 points). Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is 10-4-1 on the season with a 2.19 GAA and a .931 save percentage.