FGD 13: The champs are here (7pm MT, SN West)

Against all odds, the Calgary Flames are back at .500 (6-6-0). Despite playing some uneven ice hockey over their first dozen outings, the goaltending of Mike Smith and their continued improvement at five-on-five have meant that they’ve been good enough to win half the time. They can improve their record tonight when they host the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins (8-5-1). The Penguins haven’t gotten out to an amazing start this season, struggling with injuries and inconsistency, and they played in Edmonton last night. It’s another chance for the Flames to pick up points against an Eastern Conference foe playing their second game in as many nights.

The puck drops at 7 p.m. MT on Sportsnet 960 The Fan and Sportsnet West.

Here are tonight’s projected lines, courtesy of Daily Faceoff:

Mike Smith makes his 12th start of the season. He’s 6-5-0 with a 2.31 goals against average and a .931 save percentage. The extras tonight look to be Tanner Glass and Matt Bartkowski, while Jaromir Jagr remains sidelined for one more game with a lower-body injury – probably a tweaked groin or something of that nature. Jagr’s 45, so better safe than sorry.

The Flames didn’t win the special teams game against Washington but they were even, allowing zero power play goals and scoring zero of their own. They’ll need more out of their power play if they’re going to be successful this season – they have six PP goals this year and have allowed 11. Good teams usually score more than they allow.

Keep an eye on the third line, as neither Bennett or Jankowski have points this season and Lazar is probably desperate to stay in the lineup once Jagr gets back to 100%. Expect the whole trio to play up-tempo, energetic hockey.

Pittsburgh lines from last night via Daily Faceoff:

The expectation is Tristan Jarry, a former WHL standout with the Edmonton Oil Kings, will suit up for the Penguins in goal tonight given that Matt Murray played in Edmonton. Jarry is the third different backup the Penguins have used in just over a dozen games, which probably tells you everything you need to know. Extras last night were Zack Trotman and Carl Hagelin, both healthy scratches due to some sub-par recent performances.

Two things to remember about the Penguins:

Flames: Daniel Pribyl (knee) and Jaromir Jagr (lower-body) are on the injured reserve.

Pittsburgh: Matt Hunwick (concussion) and Justin Schultz (concussion) are on the injured reserve.

The Flames beat Pittsburgh twice last season, albeit twice in shootouts. They won 3-2 in Pittsburgh in early February, then 4-3 in Calgary in mid-March.

Check out these Penguins-related accounts for your tweeting pleasure tonight:

The Flames can take advantage of a tired Penguins team and nudge themselves a game over the .500 mark with a solid 60 minute effort. If they play like they did against Washington, they should have a great chance at two points.