Flames right where they want to be — on the road

Still in need of cleaning up their game, the Calgary Flames head on the road where they are a 3-1-0 so far during this 2017-18 campaign.

Tonight, it’s the Nashville Predators (6 p.m. MT, Sportsnet Flames, Sportsnet 960 The Fan) and Wednesday, it’s the St. Louis Blues (6 p.m. MT, Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet 960 The Fan).

Glen Gulutzan might not be able to explain how his group has been able to have success away from the Scotiabank Saddledome this season but the head coach understands his group plays better loose.

“That’s what I know,” he said on Monday as the team packed up their things to depart for Tennessee. “That’s the history with our group from the year I’ve been here. When you get on the road, there’s not as much pressure to impress. There’s a little more freedom on the road for our guys.

“We had a good road record last year. That, sometimes, is a good place to start when you’re looking to get back in the win column.”

At 4-4-0 and riding a two-game losing skid, the Flames are definitely looking at getting back in the win column.

Through eight games this season, they’ve taken too many penalties and are looking to bounce back from a 4-2 loss against the Minnesota Wild that, arguably, was one of their best efforts of the season apart from 10 minutes in the third period when they watched a 2-1 lead slip away.

Last year, away from the Dome during the regular season, the team had a 21-16-4 record. This year, apart from a 3-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers to open the campaign, they’ve been perfect.

“I think we just play simple on the road,” said Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau. “We don’t have our fans behind us and we’re not trying to do too many things that are too crazy. We’re just doing the simple things and getting pucks in deep. I think we need to play that same way at home … I think it’s something we can learn from.”

The biggest news from Monday’s practice was the fact that Mark Jankowski was called up in the wake of Jaromir Jagr’s lower body injury which prompted Gulutzan to place Jankowski on a line — at centre — with Sam Bennett and Curtis Lazar.

Jagr is on the injured reserve, retroactive to Saturday’s loss to the Wild and could potentially play in Sunday’s game versus the Washington Capitals at the Saddledome.

That means Bennett, who has long been touted as a pivot, will shift to the left wing. There’s no secret it’s been a struggle for the 21-year-old who, although having a 55.1 per cent success rate in the face-off circle, has zero points and is a minus-3 in eight games.

He’s also taken 12 minutes in penalties, tied for highest on the team with Matthew Tkachuk.

“With Janks coming in, I’m not going to play him on wing. He’s played primarily centre,” Gulutzan

We had a good road record last year. That, sometimes, is a good place to start when you’re looking to get back in the win column.

said. “I’ve never actually seen him play the wing but I’ve seen Sam play wing so we’ll put those three young players together. There’s some good speed and skill-sets we think will help one another.”

As for Jankowski, who makes his Flames debut after scoring five goals and eight points in six games with the Stockton Heat this season, it’s about playing without fear.

“The other part is, now there’s other sharks in the water,” Gulutzan said. “You have to have a real good defensive compete mindset. We want him to be the player he was through training camp and in the American League. That’s the free part. The other part is to recognize there’s other big boys here.

“You have to be tight and play hard defensively.”