The Detroit Red Wings and the Calgary Flames will do battle for the first time this season as the two teams face off at the Saddledome tonight. The Wings have split the first two games of a six game road trip while the Flames were denied a fifth consecutive win by the Islanders four days ago. They've had plenty of time to regroup since and I like the home team here.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. The Flames D - The main reason to the Flames success over their last five games has been a stingy defense. They've allowed only 10 goals over that span while conceding 26.4 shots per game. I expect them to keep it tight in front of Karri Ramo who will tend the net tonight.

2. Road Woes - The Red Wings are coming straight from Edmonton where two last minute goals secured a 4-2 win last night. Playing on the road on back-to-back nights is never easy though, and Detroit has dropped all of its last six on the road against teams with a winning home record. The Flames fit the bill here with a record of 11-7-2 in Calgary for the season.

3. X-Factor - Jiri Hudler is leading the Flames with 38 points despite being goal-less over his last eight games. He's been productive in other ways though, setting up eight goals over his last seven.

Selection: This is a play on the Calgary Flames (Free)