That was fun, wasn’t it?
Ryan Lomberg certainly seemed to enjoy it.
On Saturday night, the Calgary Flames placed Adam Klapka on a line with Lomberg and Kevin Rooney for their exhibition game against the Vancouver Canucks.
And the results were, at times, pretty electric.
Goals, big hits, bad blood with the Canucks … if this was a preview of what the Flames’ fourth line might look like in a week or two when the regular season gets underway, the trio might be appointment viewing for fans.
“I thought they were our best line tonight,” said Flames head coach Ryan Huska. “They played a simple game, they put pucks in and the first two goals we scored were based off of their work on the forecheck. I thought all three guys had impact tonight.”
The Flames have been giving a few different players a look next to Rooney and Lomberg throughout training camp. Dryden Hunt and Walker Duehr are both competing for playing time. Jakob Pelletier could be in that mix, too, and Saturday’s game doesn’t suddenly mean the 24-year-old Klapka’s won the job.
But he certainly made an impression and seemed to bring out the best in Lomberg and Rooney. They were aggressive, pesky and relentless on the forecheck.
Go back to the Flames’ annual Celebrity Charity Golf Classic earlier this month and watch any of the interviews with the players. They all talked about how they believe they can exceed external expectations that have been placed on them by making themselves hard to play against every single night.
Against the Canucks, the Lomberg-Rooney-Klapka line was definitely hard to play against.
Klapka set the tone with big hits on Nils Aman and Akito Hirose, but all three played with physicality and were relentless along the boards and in the corners.
And that approach led to goals, too. Lomberg buried one and had an assist, while Klapka scored and Rooney recorded a helper.
“That was our first real game together and I thought we played great,” Lomberg said post-game. “Obviously, the fourth line, we’re not going to be toe-dragging guys in the neutral zone and stuff like that. For us, it’s keep it simple and once it’s down there we can make plays and do whatever we want with it.
“It’s simple, straightforward and predictable, which is why we had a pretty good night.”
Klapka’s emergence as a viable option on the fourth line isn’t exactly a shock. He’s been a source of intrigue since the Flames signed him as an undrafted free agent prior to the 2022-23 season and has taken huge strides in his game since arriving in North America and debuting with the Calgary Wranglers.
And on Saturday, the 6-foot-8, 235 lbs. Czech winger was throwing his body around in a way we didn’t necessarily see in the six games he played with the Flames last season.
It brought the Saddledome faithful out of their seats, seemed to infuriate the Canucks and energized his linemates.
Asked if he had any advice for Klapka, Lomberg — who is no stranger to changing a game’s energy with a little physical play — smiled before answering.
“Watch that tape and do it again,” Lomberg said.
There are no guarantees that Klapka will be in the starting lineup on Game 1 of the regular season. But it’s increasingly clear he’s going to be an option this year, and on Saturday night, the Flames looked like they might have found a little bit of magic by putting him with Rooney and Lomberg.
Together, they did exactly what the Flames seem to want their fourth liners to do.
“A group of guys who are hard to play against and the forecheck is going to be a real big part of their identity,” Huska said. “They have to make it uncomfortable on defensemen, knowing, ‘Oh no, these guys are coming again.’ With that, I think they’re going to drag people into the game like they did tonight.”
Waiver wire
Clark Bishop and Jonathan Aspirot both cleared waivers on Sunday morning, clearing the way for them to join up with the Wranglers. The Flames also placed Martin Frk and Justin Kirkland on waivers.