Game #13 preview, the Blue Jackets look to extinguish the Flames

The Blue Jackets begin their annual trip to Western Canada tonight, with a matchup in Calgary against the Flames.

The Jackets are looking for a bounce-back performance after a very disappointing effort in their last game. It might be an understatement to say that Sunday's game was lackadaisical from the guys in Union Blue.

Let me be clear: they stunk, and deserved every bit of that loss. If not for their goaltender, this would have been a blowout.

Despite taking a 3-2 lead with less than 8 minutes left against the Islanders, the Jackets failed to even earn a point after surrendering 2 goals in 29 seconds late in the third.

After the game, goaltender Elvis Merzlikins was spotted in a very emotional moment on the bench. For all of these reasons, tonight's game feels like a massive turning point for this team. Will they rebound and fight back? Or, will they collapse and go the other way?

The good news is, they bounced back in a big way after their only other disappointing effort this season. After getting thumped 4-1 by the Colorado Avalanche on home ice on October 16th, the Jackets won 5 of their next 6 games.

This is a more experienced group than we are used to seeing in Columbus, so hopefully they pick themselves up off the mat and play hard in Calgary tonight.

The Opponent

Through the first month of the season, the Calgary Flames have surprised the league. Not in a good way. They sit dead last in the NHL standings with a 3-9-2 record (8 points).

Last year, they finished with 96 points, just barely missing the playoff line in the Western Conference. Instead of building upon that success, they have really struggled in the early going this year.

The Flames are having issues on both sides of the puck. They have scored a league-low 31 goals, despite being tied for the most games played (14). That gives them a goals-for average of just 2.21 per game.

They are also leaky defensively, allowing an average of 3.43 goals per game. Dustin Wolf's elite goaltending that got them so close to the playoffs last year, has just not been present so far this season.

He has started 12 games, going 3-8-1 with a .884% save percentage and 3.39 goals against average. In comparison, his backup Devin Cooley has had a much better start; posting a .933% save percentage and 1.98 goals against average.

Despite their lack of scoring, this is still a pretty good team on paper. Nazem Kadri (3g, 7a, 10pts) leads the way, with Jonathan Huberdeau (4-3-7), Morgan Frost (2-5-7) not far off, and a handful of players at 6 points apiece.

Overall, this is a very experienced group, and it seems like they should find their way up the standings at some point. It will be up to the Blue Jackets to keep that from starting tonight.

The Flames will start Wolf in goal, giving us a rare matchup of small goaltenders. Meanwhile, former Jacket Jake Bean will be a healthy scratch:

The Good Guys

We may see some lineup changes after Sunday's disappointing effort on Long Island. The Jackets practiced in basically the same rotation, but they have a few players who could be jostled around.

On the blue line, Erik Gudbranson continues to sit day to day with an undisclosed injury (rumored to be a hip ailment). Joining him is Denton Mateychuk, who missed practice yesterday in similar fashion.

If both of them are out for tonight's game, Dysin Mayo would draw in for his first game in a CBJ sweater. He was recalled to the team from the Cleveland Monsters last week.

Up front, the team practiced with the same lines as Sunday; which would include Zach Aston-Reese in the lineup ahead of Yegor Chinakhov. This is a decision that has drawn ire from many around the fanbase, but it's up to Dean Evason to ensure he's icing the best possible lineup.

In goal, we expect the rotation to continue; which means Jet Greaves should get the start tonight in Calgary.

Update: Mateychuk will miss tonight's game, meaning Mayo will get some ice time. Also confirmed, Jet Greaves in goal.

Three Keys to Success

1. Wake up. The Blue Jackets didn't even start on Sunday until the game was about 30 minutes old. By that point, their goaltender had kept them in it. But, he could not stop everything, and another late third period collapse cost them this time. They need to play the full 60 tonight.

2. Don't get pushed around. The Flames are a heavy, physical team. This is one of the few teams around the NHL that can outmatch the Blue Jackets in that department, so it's important not to let them take over that aspect of the game.

3. Special teams. Beating the dead horse here: win the special teams battle, win the game. Like the Blue Jackets, the Flames are in the bottom half of the league with both units. This is their chance to earn some ground.

In summary, there is no reason the Blue Jackets should lose this game. They need to channel their frustration from Sunday night and take it to a team that has not yet found their footing to start this season.

Since this is in the Mountain time zone, puck drop is not until 9:30PM Eastern time. If you're up, you can catch the game via Fan Duel Sports Network (OH), via ESPN+, or tune in via NHL Radio.