Staff Predictions & Lines: Cam Talbot Gets The Home Start

Staff Predictions

Calgary Flames vs Columbus Blue Jackets, 6:30 PM MT

Preview

Favorite: Calgary Line: -170 O/U: 5.5

Calgary vs Columbus: 15-14-0

Calgary vs Columbus Overall: 28-32-0

Calgary vs Columbus 2019-20: 1-0-0

11/2: Calgary Flames 3 @ Columbus Blue Jackets 0

Calgary Last 10: 5-4-1

Columbus Last 10: 2-4-4

Predictions

Mark: Calgary Flames 3 – Columbus Blue Jackets 1

I get the feeling the Flames are going with David Rittich and he’s been BAD at home lately. Yet, I feel like the Flames can score a few tonight and the sad Columbus offence may show up again and make it an easy night for Rittich to snap his seven game losing streak at the Saddledome.

That's what I had this morning before Talbot was named starter. Now I'm more than confident the Flames win tonight.

Flash – Calgary Flames 2 – Columbus Blue Jackets 1

Decimated by more injuries than I’ve ever seen a team have CBJ has kept rolling through John Tortorella’s implementation of a stingy defensive system and some remarkable goaltending. The problem for them is the Flames are on a decent roll themselves with the top 6 F’s and top 4 D all playing some very, very good hockey. I think the Flames squeak out a W.

Maddie: Calgary Flames 2 – Columbus Blue Jackets 1

Am I allowed to agree with Flash on my score prediction? If this is cheating, well, that’s just where we’re at today. Anyway, despite how beat up they are, the Blue Jackets are executing pretty well a tighter defensive system, and I could see that giving the Flames some trouble. That said, this Blue Jackets team is still a shell of their former self, and I think the Flames should ultimately be able to beat them. Here’s hoping.

Michael: Calgary Flames 4 – Columbus Blue Jackets 2

The Blue Jackets earned a reputation this season of working hard and being very defensively stout. However it appears that their injuries may finally have caught up with them, especially losing Seth Jones on the back end as they’ve become much more loose. The Blue Jackets have allowed 3+ goals against in each of their last eight games, averaging 4.13 allowed per game. They’ve gone 2-3-3 as a result and are quickly falling in the Eastern playoff race. I think Calgary keeps the scoring trend going and starts the homestand off right.

FORWARDS

Johnny Gaudreau – Sean Monahan – Elias Lindholm

Andrew Mangiapane – Mikael Backlund – Matthew Tkachuk

Milan Lucic – Derek Ryan – Dillon Dube

Sam Bennett – Mark Jankowski – Tobias Rieder

DEFENCE

Mark Giordano – TJ Brodie

Noah Hanifin – Rasmus Andersson

Derek Forbort – Erik Gustafsson

GOALTENDER

Cam Talbot

by Mark Parkinson