A Western Canada duel between Calgary and Winnipeg will spice up the new all-Canadian North Division, with both sides meeting up for the first time since last year’s Stanley Cup Playoff qualifying round, when the Flames eliminated the Jets.
Flames Sign Markstrom
The Calgary Flames reached the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, subsequently losing it for the third time in the last four years last season after eliminating the Winnipeg Jets in four games (3-1) in the qualifying round ahead of a 4-2 series defeat to the eventual finalists Dallas Stars. Calgary went 36-27-7 throughout the regular campaign, ending up 4th in the Pacific Division and 8th in the Western Conference. Matthew Tkachuk banked the most points for the team last season (61, with 23 goals), while Elias Lindholm (54 points) converted the most goals (29).#Flames GM Brad Treliving goes over the make-up of the 2020-21 opening night roster, the taxi squad and Thursday's season opener vs. the Jets! pic.twitter.com/pGQVVmHYex
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) January 13, 2021
After signing a six-year, $36 million contract with Calgary in October, goalie Jacob Markstrom will immediately slot in the crease as the team’s No. 1. He was 23-16-4 with the Vancouver Canucks last season with a 2.75 GAA and a .918 save percentage, and has posted a 2-9-1 career total against the Winnipeg Jets with a 3.39 GAA and a .892 save percentage. The Flames, meanwhile, ended last year, netting the 12th lowest amount of goals per game (2.91), while conceding the 15th highest quantity in their defensive zone (3.06). The team was 12th in power play (21.2%) and 8th in penalty kill (82.1%).
Jets Set For Revenge
It is quite ironic that the Winnipeg Jets will open the new season against a team that effectively ended its previous campaign, with the Calgary Flames eliminating the side from Manitoba in four games (3-1) during the Stanley Cup qualifiers. Prior to that, the Jets finished the season 5th in the Central Division and 9th in the Western Conference (37-28-6) after triumphing in four straight games just before the coronavirus outbreak. Kyle Connor (38 goals, 73 points) and Mark Scheifele (29 goals, 73 points) were the highest-scoring Jets throughout the regular campaign, while Adam Lowry excelled during the postseason (1 goal, 3 points)."Finding out this morning I was staying here, I was pretty happy."
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) January 12, 2021
Mathieu Perreault happy to stay in #NHLJets colours after stressful 24 hours.
READ: https://t.co/AfPHihcwoX
Goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who won the Vezina Trophy last year, will enter his sixth campaign with Winnipeg after notching a 31-21-5 total last season with a 2.57 GAA and a .922 save percentage. He has recorded a 5-2-0 previous tally against the Flames with a 1.97 GAA and a .932 save percentage. The Jets, meanwhile, finished the 2019-20 term, scoring the 15th lowest number of goals per game (3.00), while allowing the 10th lowest quantity on the defensive end (2.83). The team was 15th in power play with a 20.5% success rate and 22nd in penalty kill with 77.6% effectiveness.
Team Trends
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Calgary (according to Covers.com)
- Flames are 1-4 in their last 5 vs. Western Conference.
Winnipeg (according to Covers.com)
- Jets are 6-2 in their last 8 home games.
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