This is an 8* play on the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Flames were one of the worst teams in the NHL last season, only the Oilers had fewer points in the Western Conference. You would think that losing their leading scorer in the off-season would have hurt the Flames, but so far they are off to a good start. Calgary is coming off a shocking upset victory on the road over Chicago, winning by a score of 2-1 in overtime.

Before you get too excited about the Flames as an underdog, I should mention that they were out-shot 50-18 in the win over the Hawks. Jonas Hiller stopped all but one of those 50 shots, earning his first victory of the season. Calgary has won 3-of-4 on this current road trip, and each of the last three have failed to reach the total.

Columbus suffered it's first loss of the season at home, losing 4-2 to Dallas. They will be eager to get back on track at home tonight against a Flames team in the midst of a long road trip. The Jackets will hope to continue their success on he penalty kill, as they have yet to concede a power play goal.

The Flames haven't had much luck keeping pucks out of their net while short-handed, conceding six power-play goals already this season. I think it's only a matter of time before the losses start to pile up for Calgary, as they simply don't have enough talent to compete night in and night out.

Take CBJ.

GL,

Jesse Schule