Flames’ Neal set for another reunion

The man they call ‘The Real Deal’ is set to square off with one of his old pals for the second time in two weeks.

New Flames acquisition James Neal is looking for his first goal at the Scotiabank Saddledome while Pekka Rinne, one of the goaltenders Neal shot on in practice for three years when he was a Predator, is searching to keep his sterling statistics intact.

Here are 5 Things to Watch when Calgary hosts Nashville on Friday night: Day Off: The Flames took an unexpected day off on Thursday following a hard-earned 5-2 win over Boston. It was their second victory in a row and a solid home victory. Dube Back In?: Bill Peters sounded confident that rookie forward Dillon Dube was going to draw back into the lineup, depending on how his maintenance days went.

These Guys Again: Last Tuesday at Bridgestone Arena, Flames goalie Mike Smith had a 43-save shutout as the Flames beat the Predators 3-0.

More on the Preds: Since the loss to Calgary, Nashville has won three straight games … LW Filip Forsberg leads the Preds with four goals and two assists … C Ryan Johansen also has six points (one goal, five assists) … It’s a quick trip for the men from Music City USA who are in Calgary on Friday and Edmonton on Saturday and then back home to Bridgestone Arena … Before Thursday’s games, the Predators were sitting fourth in the NHL with only 12 goals allowed through six games this season.

This N’ That: Heading into Thursday’s action, the Flames led the league with 11 third period goals … Also, no team had more powerplay opportunities than the Flames’ 29 but with only five tallies to show for it, there’s room for improvement. “We have a lot of work to do, in my opinion,” said Flames head coach Bill Peters after Wednesday’s contest which saw them go 0-for-4. “The powerplay was bogged down a bit … we have to look at the structure of the five-onthree. We’re not going to keep doing the same thing if we’re not going to get results.”