Toronto Maple Leafs (31-19-2) at Calgary Flames (26-19-7)
When: Tuesday, 7 p.m. MT, Climate Pledge Arena
TV: Sportsnet West. Radio: Sportsnet 960 The Fan
Odds: Leafs -150, Flames +125
The buzz
The stakes are pretty straightforward, both for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Calgary Flames.
And Chris Tanev, now with the Leafs after spending the better part of four seasons with the Flames, puts it in the plainest possible terms when he’s asked what Tuesday night’s tilt means.
“All business, I think,” Tanev said. “Both teams need wins, standings are tighter than ever.”
We’re at that point in the season. The Flames have three games left before they – with the exception of Rasmus Andersson – get a little break for the Four Nations Face-Off.
But between now and Saturday, they’ve got three tough tests.
First, it’s the Leafs on Tuesday. The Saddledome is always rocking when the Buds are in town, but with the Western Conference playoff race heating up and the Flames two points up on the Vancouver Canucks in the second Wild Card position, there’s a lot more than pride at stake in Tuesday night’s tilt at the Saddledome.
It won’t get any easier before the break, though, with the Colorado Avalanche rolling into town on Thursday and the Kraken again on Saturday.
The quote
“Obviously, you appreciate that, that people would think highly of you, but I just think just as highly of a lot of people on the other side. I learned a lot as a player and as a person here, so it’s definitely a really good period of my life.”
— Leafs defenceman Chris Tanev on the kind words the Flames have said about him since he was traded to the Dallas Stars at last year’s trade deadline.
The news
- Both the Leafs and Flames have been scoring in bunches on the power-play in 2025. The Leafs have converted on 30.0% of their opportunities since the New Year, sixth-best in the league, while the Flames have scored on 25.6% of their chances with the man-advantage, ninth-best in the NHL in that stretch.
- The Leafs are coming off a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night, while the Flames beat the Kraken 3-2 in Seattle on Sunday.
- Check in after morning skate for more updates
The projected lineup
Forwards
Huberdeau-Kadri-Farabee
Coleman-Backlund-Coronato
Pospisil-Frost-Sharangovich
Lomberg-Bishop-Klapka
Defence
Hanley-Andersson
Bean-Weegar
Barrie-Pachal
Goalies
Wolf
Vladar
The injuries
The Flames are without Kevin Bahl (upper-body), Justin Kirkland (knee), Anthony Mantha (knee) and Connor Zary (knee).