5 THINGS - FLAMES @ PANTHERS
The Flames look for a third straight win tonight as they visit the Panthers in Sunrise, Florida
Video: We get you set for tonight's first tilt in Florida
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GAME DAY VIDEO
Game Day with Brendan Parker
Pregame Interviews
GAME DAY FEATURES
The Task at Hand
Projected Lineup
Say What - 'Pushing Our Identity'
STAT PACK
Media Game Notes
Scoring Leaders
2019-20 Head-to-Head Stats
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Leading Scorers:
Flames:
Points - Johnny Gaudreau (36)
Goals - Andrew Mangiapane (18)
Panthers:
Points - Jonathan Huberdeau (41)
Goals - Anthony Duclair, Aleksander Barkov (12)
Special Teams:
Flames:
PP - 23.6% (10th) / PK - 85.4% (4th)
Panthers:
PP - 17.1% (22nd) / PK - 80.8% (16th)
Advanced Stats:
Flames:
Shot Attempts: 54.54% (3rd)
High-Danger Chances: 54.05% (7th)
Panthers:
Shot Attempts: 56.96% (1st)
High-Danger Chances: 54.66% (5th)
Go, Johnny.
Go. Go.
Another exceptional three-point effort from No. 13 propelled the Flames to their second straight win, 5-1 over the Blackhawks on Sunday in Chicago.
Matthew Tkachuk, Elias Lindholm, Trevor Lewis and Oliver Kylington supplied the rest of the offence as the Flames turned in one of their most complete efforts of the season - rebounding from a slugging opening 20 and tying a franchise record with 26 shots in the middle frame to seize control.
Jacob Markstrom made 30 stops in the victory.
An even taller task awaits them now as the Flames begin a stretch against three of the top four teams in the league.
Buckle up.
"I think this is a good test for us," Gaudreau said following Monday's practice at FLA Live Arena. "We've obviously had a lot of success on the road (13-4-2), so hopefully we can bring that with us in these next three games, get off to an early lead and play well."
The Flames will be playing their NHL-leading 20th road game tonight - while in contrast, the Cats will be hosting their league-topping 21st home date.
"There are a lot of discrepancies in the league this year because of what's gone on in terms of the schedule," said Head Coach Darryl Sutter. "That's half their schedule at home. They've played 11 more home games us, or 10 after (tonight). They're a .500 team on the road and they're good at home.
"You come to Florida now and play these two teams and you're playing the Stanley Cup Champions and a team that's got a rivalry with the Stanley Cup Champions. They're trying to keep pace with them."
Often, a meeting like this brings out in the best in both sides.
And with a 17-7-6 record to show, the Flames have had no trouble asserting themselves and elevating their game against the top teams in the league.
After all, they are one.
"It's a good challenge, for sure," ex-Panther Jacob Markstrom said of the next three games in four nights. "We finish off in Carolina and we had a game in home and lost 2-1 in overtime. We could have won it. We had some chances to finish it off in regulation, but didn't.
"Three of the top teams in the East (Panthers, Lightning and Hurricanes), and we want to be a top team in the West, so it's a good challenge for us."
The Panthers came out of the holiday break precisely as they went in:
Red hot.
With consecutive wins over the Rangers, Lightning and Habs to open the post-Christmas calendar, the Cats have now assembled the second-best home-ice record through 20 games in NHL history at 17-3-0.
With 21 wins and 46 points, overall, the mood in sunny, south Florida is as good as it's ever been.
"We've really built some resilience, some self-belief," interim head coach Andrew Brunette told Jameson Olive of FloridaPanthers.com. "I think we're learning, slowly at times, what it takes to be an elite team."
Their most recent affair - a 5-2 triumph over the struggling Montreal Canadiens - pulled the Panthers to within one point of the Atlantic Division lead.
And there are plenty of reasons for that.
An elite offence, combined with the stellar goaltending of Sergei Bobrovsky, has given the Cats a formidable, one-two punch. The Jonathan Huberdeau-led assault boasts the NHL's top possession metrics, with 56.96% of the even-strength shot volume. And at 3.78 goals per game, they turn the torrent into goals more than anyone else not named the Colorado Avalanche.
Most importantly, Bobrovsky has rebounded nicely after a mediocre start to his tenure in Florida. He enters tonight's contest with 14-3-2 record, along with a .918 save percentage and a 2.47 goals-against average.
The Panthers, though, are now the latest club to be hit by the world's invisible foe, as Mason Marchment and their second-leading scorer, Sam Reinhart, have both entered the NHL's COVID-19 protocol.
Still, with the likes of Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov and Aaron Ekblad at their disposal, the Panthers are no pushover.
THEY HAVE A HISTORY: On April 12, 2021, the Flames traded Sam Bennett to the Panthers in exchange for forward prospect Emil Heineman and a second-round pick in 2022. Unfortunately, Bennett will not be in the lineup tonight, as he has been suspended for the next three games after an illegal check to the head of Canadiens forward Cedric Paquette. … These two teams will meet again on Jan. 18 at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
THE HEAT IS ON: At 17-7-6 for 40 points on the year, the Flames are tied for the third-best record and points through 30 games in franchise history (2009-10 - 19-8-3, 41 points, 1988-89 - 21-5-4, 46 points). The Flames have played 19 of their 30 games away from the Scotiabank Saddledome and are the top road team in the NHL this season with a 13-4-2 record, for a points percentage of .737.
PANTHER PLAY: The Flames have won two straight and are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games against the Cats. ... Matthew Tkachuk has 10 points (4G, 6A) in eight career meetings.
DID YOU KNOW? Johnny Gaudreau (530) has now passed Guy Chouinard (529) and sits in sole possession of seventh in points in Flames franchise history. Gaudreau now trails Kent Nilsson (562) for the sixth-most points in franchise lore.
Flames - Johnny Gaudreau
Back-to-back three-point efforts and all sorts of praise of the head coach, as a result.
Yes, Johnny Hockey is red hot.
READ: Ty Pilson of CalgaryFlames.com examines Gaudreau's year and his evolution as an elite, 200-foot player. CLICK HERE
Also, of note: The last time Gaudreau was in this building, he scored one of the most memorable goals of his career - a tribute to his late grandfather.
Video: CGY@FLA: Gaudreau pots far-side wrister for PPG
Panthers - Jonathan Huberdeau
On Monday, Huberdeau was named the NHL's Third Star of the Week after putting up eight points (1G, 7A) in only three games.
"It's fun to watch, but it's even more fun to be a part of it," Reinhart said of Huberdeau's innate, offensive flair." I've always known what he's capable of, so to see it on a nightly basis is pretty exciting. You look at him leading the way and then you look at the depth following, it's a fun way to play."
Darryl Sutter on the play of Johnny Gaudreau this year:
"Johnny is one of the best 200-foot players in the league right now. That says a lot about him and the way he's approached the season.
"When you become the consummate team player, and making plays away from the puck, or backchecking or tracking back or being in the right position on the ice, or managing the clock, things like that, that's where I think Johnny has really, really, came to the front.
"He's a good player and an easy guy to coach."
Gaudreau on his evolution as a player:
"It's nice to hear, obviously. You like when you hear good things about yourself and the way you're playing. But there's a lot of good players in this league and I'm fortunate to play with one of the best 200-foot players with Lindy (Elias Lindholm). It makes my job a lot easier in the D zone when you're playing with a player like that."
"Obviously, I knew I could be better (at) my D zone throughout the years. It's really important and I mean, obviously, with Darryl, he expects a lot out of the players and you've got be good in your D zone, you've got to get pucks out. At the end of day, you've got to make those plays and if you don't, you'll be on the bench."
