2023_5Things_atCHI

FLAMES (19-14-7) @ BLACKHAWKS (9-25-4)

5 p.m. MT | TV: Sportsnet West | RADIO: Sportsnet 960 The FAN

2021-22 Season Series: 3-0-0

Brendan Parker tees up tonight's tilt

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GAME DAY VIDEO
Game Day with Brendan Parker
Pregame Interviews
GAME DAY FEATURES
'This Is So Sick' - Pelletier
Projected Lineup
Say What: 'Be A Consistent Team'
STAT PACK
Media Game Notes
Scoring Leaders
2021-22 Head-to-Head Stats
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Leading Scorers:
Flames:
Points - Elias Lindholm (35)
Goals - Nazem Kadri, Tyler Toffoli (15)
Blackhawks:
Points - Patrick Kane (27)
Goals - Max Domi, Jonathan Toews (11)
Special Teams:
Flames:
PP - 18.6% (26th) / PK - 81.8% (7th)
Blackhawks:
PP - 19.8% (24th) / PK - 73.5% (24th)
Advanced Stats:
Flames:
Shot Attempts: 55.47% (3rd)
High-Danger Chances: 51.95% (14th)
Blackhawks:
Shot Attempts: 42.58% (32nd)
High-Danger Chances: 40.75% (31st)
###

  1. ON THE ROAD AGAIN
    Talk about luxury.
    For the first time in seven games, the Flames entered the third period with a multi-goal cushion.
    And closed it out.
    For a team that's been involved in a league-leading 24 one-goal games (10-7-7), that has to instill confidence after a frustrating road loss to the Winnipeg Jets only 48 hours earlier. With all the chatter this year about 'finish' (or lack-thereof), the Flames were opportunistic, capitalizing on their best looks while firing a season-low 21 shots on net.
    All in all, it was a tidy two points as the Flames knocked off the New York Islanders 4-1 at the Scotiabank Saddledome, setting the table for one of their longest road trips of the year.
    "We're climbing up in the standings," said Blake Coleman, who scored a crucial goal - his sixth of the year - and was named the first star of the game for his efforts. "We're scratching and clawing to keep moving up here. You've got to win home games. You've got to have a good home record to put yourself in a good position down the stretch. Just another one to check off.
    "It was a good start for the group, I thought. Six shots in the first isn't ideal, but capitalized on our opportunities, which has been a bit of a miss for us in some of these games. Good to get rewarded on a few chances. Obviously, that gave us the start we needed."
    Coleman, Milan Lucic, Nikita Zadorov and Nazem Kadri supplied the offence for the homeside, while Jacob Markstrom was excellent, stopping 24 of 25 - including a pair of breakaways - in the win.
    "It was huge because I think at that point, especially the first and second breakaway, I don't think we were having a very good period at the time and he kept it a two-goal lead going into the third," Lucic said. "It's good to see him finding confidence in his game as well, and we need him to be good every night to give us a chance to win."
    Markstrom improves to 13-10-4 on the year with the win and in his last seven outings, he boasts a .913 save percentage and a miniscule, 2.14 goals-against average. That sparkling GAA is fourth in the NHL in that span (along goalies with at least five starts), with Andrei Vasilevskiy, Ilya Sorokin and Chicago's Alex Stalock all hovering around the 2.00 mark.
    With the Flames up 3-1 in the third, Kadri put the game on ice with a beautiful, sharp-angle shot that found the slimmest of passages upstairs, doinking the back-side of Semyon Varlamov's helmet and tucking itself under the bar.
    Kadri - who on Thursday was named to the NHL All-Star Game - now has 15 goals and 30 points in his first season with the Flames.
    "I did not call bank, but that's where I was shooting it," Kadri said. "Luckily it went in. Big goal for us."
    Following tonight's game, the Flames will make their way their way to the Show-Me State for a pair of tilts against Ryan O'Reilly and St. Louis Blues. From there, they'll enjoy a matinee in Dallas, before finishing off the trip next Monday in Nashville against the Predators.

Markstrom stops all but one in a 4-1 home win

2. KNOW YOUR ENEMY
It's been a grind, to say the least.
Only four times in their 96-year history have the Blackhawks had a record worse than their 9-25-4 mark here in 2023.
It was way back in 1951 when they were even close, putting together a .257 points percentage that closely rivals the gutting, .289 they have near the halfway point today.
Ouch.
Still, in one of the NHL's great markets - with one of the passionate fanbases in sports - the Hawks have plenty to play for. They're coming off a 2-0 win over the Arizona Coyotes on Friday, giving them their first victory since Dec. 23 as GM Kyle Davidson looks to plot a path forward as they navigate the choppy waters of a rebuild.
Jake McCabe and Tyler Johnson scored for the home team, who had lost five straight and 13 of 14. Alex Stalock made 22 saves for his 10th career shutout and first since Feb. 28, 2020 when he was a member of the Minnesota Wild.
"It was great to get back in the win column," Stalock told NHL.com. "I think it gives a lot of life to this group. Anytime you win, it brings fun back to the game, and in sports you love winning."
The Blackhawks were without star forward Patrick Kane, who suffered a lower-body injury in a 5-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks last week. It was the first time since Feb. 24, 2015 that Kane had missed a game for injury-related reasons.
Despite taking part in Chicago's morning skate, Kane will not play again tonight.
### 3. FAST FACTS
HOT STARTS:
The Flames scored three goals in the first period of a game for the fourth time this season on Friday night against New York. The previous three times were on November 14th when they scored four in a 6-5 win over the LA Kings, Oct. 15 when they struck four times in the opening 20 in Edmonton and November 29th when they put three past Sergei Bobrovsky and the Florida Panthers. The Flames are 4-0-0 when scoring three or more goals in the first period this season.
LETHAL LINDHOLM:
Elias Lindholm leads all Flames players in goals since joining the team prior to the 2018-19 season with 129 in 327 games. Lindholm is just four points away from becoming the fourth player in the past 30 years to reach 300 points with the Flames in 350 or fewer games. Lindholm would join Theo Fleury (291 GP), Johnny Gaudreau (320 GP) and Robert Reichel (341 GP).
Stick tap to Flames Communications Coordinator Jordan Bay for compiling these notes.
Follow him and the Flames PR team @FlamesPR on Twitter for more.
### 4. PLAYERS TO WATCH
Flames - Blake Coleman
Prior to Friday's matchup, we took a deep dive into the play of the Mikael Backlund, Andrew Mangiapane and Blake Coleman line. Spoiler alert: They've been fantastic together, and
you can read more about it here
.
Specifically, Coleman has been on another level lately. He joked after a New Year's win over the Canucks that he needed to make a deal with the Hockey Gods - perhaps, even, setting a "bonfire" in an effort to eradicate his goal-scoring demons. He was a beast that night, firing four shots (all high-dangers) and feeling he could have easily buried more, but just didn't get lucky.
On Friday, there was no sacrifice necessary. Coleman was rewarded for his hard work and feels his game is now rounding into form.
"I actually cancelled the bonfire," he laughed afterward. "It's not much different. The opportunities were there - and in my game, that's where I focus. I'm more concerned if the opportunities aren't there; because when they are, this is what seems to happen. They end up coming and typically in my career, they'll be in bunches."

NYI@CGY: Coleman follows up his shot and puts it home

Blackhawks - Seth Jones
Like Kadri, Jones will be making the trek to sunny south Florida as the Blackhawks' representative for the NHL All-Star Game.
The 28-year-old has a pair of goals, along with 10 helpers in 28 games this year. He currently plays on a pair with Jake McCabe, recording an assist on his partner's goal on Friday against the Coyotes.
### 5. TOTAL RECALL
On Saturday, the Flames recalled forwards Walker Duehr and Jakob Pelletier from the Calgary Wranglers. Duehr made his NHL debut last season when he skated in just under nine minutes in Ottawa on Nov. 14, 2021. Duehr has 10 goals and six assists for 16 points in 31 games with the Wranglers. Jakob Pelletier had the third-most points by any rookie in the AHL last season and has 15 goals and 19 assists for 34 points so far this season. This is Pelletier's first NHL call-up.

Pelletier on call up and season so far with Wranglers

"It's a lot of excitement for you and your family"