FGD: That’s it, back to Winnipeg (6pm MT, TSN GO/Flames.com)

After getting into the preseason win column on Wednesday in Vancouver, the Calgary Flames hit the ice for the fifth exhibition contest when they visit the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets are playing for the third time, but they’re entering a very busy stretch and will be juggling bodies around to keep everyone fresh and healthy. The young Flames will be trying to make the mark before the players back from China start mixing back into the roster over the weekend.

The action kicks off at 6 p.m. MT on TSN GO, the Flames website and on Sportsnet 960 The Fan. (If you don’t have TSN GO, it might be possible to watch via NHL Gamecentre.)

The 26 players that went on the big trip to China got back in the late night of Wednesday night (Calgary time) and are off completely on Thursday and Friday as they try to adjust to the time change. That means they won’t play tonight and probably we won’t see any of them until Monday night’s game.

That means it’s time for the kids (and PTOs) to make their mark. Lines via our pal Pat Steinberg:

Mangiapane-Dube-Robinson
Rychel-Quine-Foo
Lomberg-Graovac-Brule
Pollock-Gawdin-Shaw

Valimaki-Sproul
Kylington-Ollas Mattsson
Falk-Siemens

Tyler Parsons and Jeff Glass are tonight’s goaltenders.

It’s a fairly typical roster for the Calgary-based Flames so far this preseason. As Sportsnet 960’s Peter Loubardias would phrase it, it might be the “last chance motel” for a handful of players tonight and tomorrow who may be booted to the Stockton Heat training camp as of Sunday. (I’m looking at you, Adam Ollas-Mattsson.)

Winnipeg is on the second day of a stretch where they play six games in nine days. It’s going to be rough, and it began with them losing 7-3 to Edmonton last night. It might get worse.

Dressing tonight for the J-E-T-S:

A nice mixture of NHLers and people whose names only sound vaguely familiar. And if you’re curious, Kristian Reichel is the son of former Flames sniper Robert Reichel.

Tonight and Monday are potentially the last chance for some of the up-and-comers to prove to Flames brass that they could potentially be NHLers on Oct. 3. They will have other chances, but actual NHLers will be there so it will be tougher to stand out.

Most importantly, can Dube stand out once again after being the story of both prospects games and both domestic preseason affairs thus far. He’s continually upped his game and he’ll face a stiff test against a Jets team that’s dressing some good defensemen and some scary forwards.