Early look The full preview opens on Monday 18 January, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Calgary Flames at Columbus Blue Jackets: game preview

Puck drop21 Jan · 7:00 PM ET
VenueNationwide Arena
All-time meetings75 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Fifteen points apart last season

Calgary finished last season 29th in the league on 77 points. Columbus finished 17th on 92.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 76

Across 75 completed games, Columbus lead the head-to-head 39-28-8.

All-time record39-28-8Columbus's record in the series
Meetings played75This is number 76
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Columbus
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
13 Jan 2026CGY 3 – CBJ 5——CBJ
5 Nov 2025CBJ 1 – CGY 5——CGY
3 Dec 2024CBJ 0 – CGY 3——CGY
29 Nov 2024CGY 2 – CBJ 5——CBJ
25 Jan 2024CBJ 5 – CGY 2——CBJ
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateCalgaryColumbus
5 Nov 20254-9-2 · 10 pts32nd7-6-0 · 14 pts21st
13 Jan 202619-23-4 · 42 pts30th20-19-7 · 47 pts26th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 5 Nov 2025, Calgary were 32nd in the league and Columbus 21st. By 13 Jan 2026 it was 30th and 26th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Columbus out-attempted Calgary 159 to 105

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Calgary Flames

105 att · 58 on goal · 8 G · 13.8%
Crease18 att · 2 G
Slot30 att · 2 G
Wing37 att · 2 G
Point12 att · 1 G
Neutral zone8 att · 1 G

Columbus Blue Jackets

159 att · 86 on goal · 6 G · 7.0%
Crease10 att · 0 G
Slot64 att · 3 G
Wing50 att · 2 G
Point31 att · 1 G
Neutral zone4 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Columbus have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

CalgaryColumbus
2.54xG for per game2.43
3.38xG against per game2.78
42.9%xG share46.7%
−4.6FinishingGoals minus expected goals+2.1
−5.9GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−1.4

This season: 3 games for Calgary, 2 for Columbus. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Calgary

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2740.0%
Power play · 2025-2616.2% · 31st
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2790.0%
Penalty kill · 2025-2680.4% · 12th
Faceoffs · 2026-2750.3% · 90/179
Drawn · 2026-275 (1.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2710 (3.33/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Columbus

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2740.0%
Power play · 2025-2618.9% · 22nd
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2766.7%
Penalty kill · 2025-2676.0% · 28th
Faceoffs · 2026-2755.9% · 71/127
Drawn · 2026-275 (2.50/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-279 (4.50/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
86Joel Farabee30220.67
22Ryan Strome31010.33
16Morgan Frost31010.33
89Matthew Knies22242.00
3Charlie Coyle20331.50
91Kent Johnson21121.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
19Zayne Parekh30110.33
44Joel Hanley10000.00
55Jake Middleton30000.00
8Zach Werenski20221.00
36Emil Andrae20110.50
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 18 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 18 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Calgary crease

CGY · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 18 Jan

Dustin Wolf.7972 GP · 0-2-0 · GSAx −5.5
Devin Cooley.8801 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −0.1

No appearances against Columbus in the last meetings.

Columbus crease

CBJ · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 18 Jan

Jet Greaves.8772 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx −1.4

No appearances against Calgary in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.0 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

13 Jan 20268 · CGY 3–5 CBJ
5 Nov 20256 · CBJ 1–5 CGY
3 Dec 20243 · CBJ 0–3 CGY
29 Nov 20247 · CGY 2–5 CBJ
25 Jan 20247 · CBJ 5–2 CGY

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Calgary1.005.332.593.16
Columbus3.503.503.093.09

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.0Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings6.2Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

1 on the injury lists

Calgary · injuries

Jonathan HuberdeauHipIRReturn10 Oct

Columbus · injuries

No players listed.

5 Oct · CGY

Placed D Brayden Pachal and C Connor Zary on waivers.

26 Sep · CGY

Waived F Alex Nylander.

25 Sep · CGY

Assigned Fs Andrew Basha, Will Dineen and Tyson Gross, Ds Hunter Brzustewicz and Axel Hurtig and G Arsenii Sergeev to Calgary (AHL). Waived for the purpose of assignment to Calgary Fs Dryden Hunt, Ben Jones, Rory Kerins, Sam Morton and William Stromgren and Ds Michael Benning, Andreas Englund and Jake Livingstone.

6 Oct · CBJ

Placed LW Mikael Pyyhtia on waivers.

1 Oct · CBJ

Placed D Ivan Provorov on injured reserve.

27 Sep · CBJ

Assigned G Pheonix Copley to Cleveland (AHL).

Injury report
#6Carson CarelsRound 1 · Prince GeorgeD
#30Jack HextallRound 1 · YoungstownC
#36Chase HarringtonRound 2 · SpokaneLW
#42Tobias TrejbalRound 2 · YoungstownG
Full draft
#14Oscar HemmingRound 1 · Boston CollegeLW
#94Alessandro Di IorioRound 3 · SarniaC
#121Evan JardineRound 4 · YoungstownLW
#142Parker SnellRound 5 · EdmontonG
Full draft

Updated after every final