Ten games before their breather.
As the Calgary Flames continue to push for an unexpected playoff berth, they’re determined to leave themselves in a good spot when the NHL pushes pause for the 4 Nations Face-Off.
The Flames have 10 contests remaining until then. They will face a few heavyweight opponents. They’ll catch up with a couple of old friends.
Let’s take a closer look at their upcoming slate …
Thursday — Sabres at Flames
All eyes will be on the dude wearing No. 24 for the road team, as many Flames fans have identified Dylan Cozens as the ideal target in Craig Conroy’s quest to land a right-handed centre in his early- to mid-20s. There have been mixed reports on whether the Sabres are actually willing to move the ‘Workhorse from Whitehorse’ but now that they’ve tumbled to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, they’ll presumably be looking to shake things up.
Saturday — Flames at Wild
Word is, superstar winger Kirill Kaprizov is nearing a return for the Wild. ‘Kirill The Thrill’ has been out since just before the holiday break due to a lower-body injury. He’d notched 23 goals and 27 assists in 34 outings before his absence, putting him in the same point-per-game neighbourhood as guys like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and putting himself in the Hart Trophy discussion. If he’s back in action, Kaprizov will be the focal point for the Flames.
Sunday — Flames at Jets
Decisions, decisions … Dustin Wolf has started the front half of every back-to-back set this season, but would the Flames consider bucking that trend, going with Dan Vladar in Minny and hoping that Wolf can deliver another first-star performance in Winnipeg? The 23-year-old pieced together a Hockey Day in Canada masterpiece this past weekend, racking up 38 saves in a 3-1 upset of the Jets. That included seven stops on Mark Scheifele. Could he repeat the feat?
Jan. 28 — Capitals at Flames
There are no shortage of storylines for this one. Andrew Mangiapane returns to the Saddledome for his first clash against his former team. Calgary-raised Logan Thompson brings his remarkable record — he is currently 21-2-3 — to his hometown rink. And, of course, Alex Ovechkin continues his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time lamp-lighting lead. Ovechkin has scored 17 of his 874 career goals against the Flames, including eight on previous trips to Cowtown. Oh, and we almost forgot to mention that the Capitals are perched atop the NHL’s overall standings.
Jan. 30 — Ducks at Flames
This has, for the past several seasons, been a favourable matchup for the Flames. They’ve won five of their past six dates with the Ducks and are 12-2-1 over the past 15 meetings. There could be some lingering animosity as these Pacific Division foes hook up for the first time since Connor Zary was injured on a knee-on-knee collision with Ducks defenceman Drew Helleson earlier this month. While Helleson was tossed from that game with a major penalty, he was not fined or suspended.
Feb. 1 — Red Wings at Flames
The Flames have lost five straight to the Red Wings, and more recent history also offers evidence that this will be a tough test. The boys from Motor City have really revved up their play since a switch behind the bench, with Todd McLellan now on his fourth stop as an NHL head coach — and first outside the Pacific Division. The Wings are in the wildcard fight in the Eastern Conference, so there should be urgency on both sides.
Feb. 2 — Flames at Kraken
This will be a gruelling back-to-back for the Flames. After a late start at the Saddledome, it will be past midnight before they’re boarding their flight at YYC. Yeah, it’s a relatively short hop to Seattle, but it will be still be the middle-of-the-night when they can finally crash into their hotel beds. Not to heap too much pressure on the likes of Matt Coronato and Jakob Pelletier, but some youthful exuberance will be a must for a tired team.
Feb. 4 — Maple Leafs at Flames
Coming out of the weekend, there are five NHL teams with 60-plus points in the standings. The Flames will face three of ’em — the Capitals, Jets and Maple Leafs — before their break. Nothing against Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner or any of Toronto’s other star scorers, but we’re most excited to see Chris Tanev. He hasn’t been back to the Saddledome since he was traded last February and the fearless blue-liner — once again among the league leaders in blocked shots — will surely be treated to a standing ovation.
Feb. 6 — Avalanche at Flames
Although they’ve been hanging out in a wildcard spot, the Avalanche are suddenly within striking distance of second place in the Central Division. This certainly counts as a measuring-stick matchup for the Flames, since the Avs have addressed their crease concerns and are back in the conversation as a Stanley Cup favourite. This should also double to boost excitement about the 4 Nations Face-Off, with Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Devon Toews all expected to play major roles for Team Canada.
Feb. 8 — Kraken at Flames
The vacation is always a bit better when you’ve won your final outing before the break. The Flames admitted as much after cruising into Christmas with a 6-4 home victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. They will be trying to crank the Kraken before going their separate ways for a week and change — most to suntan on a beach and Rasmus Andersson to represent Sweden on the international stage. The Flames will return for several days of practice before a Feb. 23 showdown with the San Jose Sharks.