[Cali Panthers Fan]

I know the 5on5 effort will be there tonight, but I really want to see some progress on special teams. It will be the reason we lose this year more than defense or goaltending.

PK has been spotty, and that's all about winning face-offs, effort, positioning, and a key save now and then, so I'm not expecting them to be top half in the league, but they should be better.

PP is about talent for sure, but having a cohesive system of puck movement and positioning is vital as well. We have enough goal scorers and passers to put the puck in the net, and the defense (Wideman, Giordano, Brodie, Russell) definitely has enough offensive talent to contribute, so we should be top half in the league with a half decent system. Weirdly, it seems like they don't try as hard once they get a PP, relying on skills rather than hard work. I would like to see them outwork the opposition a little more on the PP.

I also want to see a better effort from Glencross tonight. He knows he made a brutal play last game and that usually means we will see him trying to be more of a factor in the next game. If he doesn't show up tonight I'll be a little worried about his head space going forward.

Joey Mac was brutal on a couple of goals last game, but he also made some amazing saves. Hopefully he's just working out the kinks early in the year and he comes with a more consistent effort tonight. I don't care who our goalie is going forward, I just want them to give us a chance to win.

Canadiens are talented, but not the most physical bunch. I expect the Flames to dominate the physical game and out hustle them badly. Flames continue to learn from past mistakes and keep the lead for once.

Bold prediction: 4-1 Flames.