Calgary, Alberta (My Sportsbook) - The Columbus Blue Jackets try to make it three wins in a row under new head coach Doug MacLean tonight when they head to Calgary to face off with the Flames at the Saddledome.
Tyler Wright scored the game- winning goal late in the second period and Geoff Sanderson added a goal and an assist, as Columbus edged Vancouver, 3-2, on Friday. Rick Nash also scored and David Vyborny chipped in two assists for the Blue Jackets, who posted their first-ever win in nine meetings against the Canucks (1-7-1).
Marc Denis made 27 saves, as Columbus moved to 2-0 since the general manager MacLean took over as interim coach for the fired Dave King.
Ray Whitney also had an assist to raise his point=scoring streak to six games. He has one goal and seven assists in that span.
Defenseman Rostislav Klesla left the game in the second period with a shoulder injury after being slammed into the board by Todd Bertuzzi and is questionable for tonight's contest.
The Blue Jackets, who are 14-1-3 this season when allowing two goals or less, will be playing the third leg of a four-game road trip tonight that will wind down in Edmonton on Monday. Away from home this season, Columbus is 5-12-2-1.
Calgary, which has also flourished under a new head coach enters Saturday's contest on a down note after falling to the Ottawa Senators 1-0 on Thursday.
Roman Turek stopped 22 shots for the Flames, who fell for the first time since Darryl Sutter took over the head coaching reins on December 28 (4-1-1). Turek has been hot since Sutter took command and has a 1.48 goals against average and .944 save percentage in the last six games.
Chris Drury, who had a game-high eight shots on goal against Ottawa, has struggled though and has just one goal in his last 13 games. Drury still leads the team with 29 points (9g, 20a).
This is the eighth time this season that Calgary's opposition will be playing the second half of back-to-back games. The Flames have only two wins and a tie to go with five losses in those contests
Calgary, which will hit the road for a pair following tonight's tilt, is 3-1-1 in its last five home games and is 5-10-5-1 in its arena this season.
The Flames should have a distinct advantage tonight, as the home team in this series has won eight of the nine meetings. Columbus, which has dropped three in a row in Calgary, has claimed a victory in six of the nine matchups though.