5 THINGS - FLAMES @ WILD
The Flames look to tame the Wild tonight in the Land of 10,000 Lakes
Video: Brendan Parker gets you ready for tilt with Wild
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GAME DAY VIDEO
Game Day with Brendan Parker
Pregame Interviews
GAME DAY FEATURES
'Win As A Committee'
Projected Lineup
Say What: 'He Really Believes In Me'
STAT PACK
Media Game Notes
Scoring Leaders
Head-to-Head Stats
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Leading Scorers:
Flames:
Points - Johnny Gaudreau (113)
Goals - Matthew Tkachuk, Elias Lindholm (41)
Wild:
Points - Kirill Kaprizov (105)
Goals - Kirill Kaprizov (45)
Special Teams:
Flames:
PP - 23.5% (9th) / PK - 83.6% (6th)
Wild:
PP - 20.3% (19th) / PK - 75.4% (27th)
Advanced Stats:
Flames:
Shot Attempts: 55.80% (3rd)
High-Danger Chances: 55.70% (2nd)
Wild:
Shot Attempts: 51.22% (11th)
High-Danger Chances: 53.32% (9th)
It's hard to believe a regular-season game could carry that much emotion.
But, boy, are we thankful it did.
Of the 1,218 games that Milan Lucic has played over his 15 years in The Show, he said that one easily ranks in the Top 5.
In fact, it was so good that Matthew Tkachuk didn't want it to end.
No. 19 scored with 0.1 seconds left on the clock, before Elias Lindholm scored the OT winner in a playoff-style, seesaw battle between the Flames and Predators on Tuesday in Nashville.
Dillon Dube (2) and Noah Hanifin rounded out the offence, while Dan Vladar stopped 19 shots in the victory.
"What that game did for us, bringing us together and at this time of year, that game did so much more for us than people would probably expect," Tkachuk said. "Definitely feeling good and that game prepared us for what this next little bit is going to be like.
"The rink was awesome. The atmosphere was great. You couldn't really hear for a lot of parts of the game. That made it very special and very fun. Back and forth and ultimately - haven't beaten these guys this year - so if we do run into these guys (in the playoffs), it's good to have the confidence that we can beat them. I thought all in all, that game did a lot for us."
And rightfully so.
The game was an all-out battle, with 74 recorded hits ("What, in the period first?!" Tkachuk quipped), to go along with a pair of heavyweight bouts and skirmishes at nearly every stoppage.
If that doesn't get the blood flowing for the playoffs, what will?
With the win, the Flames have established a new single-season franchise record for road wins with 25 on the year.
The Pacific Division champs have 50, overall, and have a chance to improve on that beginning tonight, in the first of a back-to-back set to close out their 82-game slate.
"That's what playoffs are - up one, down one," said Head Coach Darryl Sutter. "You have to play every shift like it's the one that will be the difference. That's the way it works.
"I'm proud of our team. To have that kind of record and do what they've done... It's a pretty good group."
Video: CGY@NSH: Lindholm's shot trickles in for OT winner
The Wild are coming off a 5-3 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday, snapping the team's 10-game point streak (8-0-2).
Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno each had a goal and an assist, while Marc-Andre Fleury made 21 saves in a losing effort. The veteran netminder has now made three consecutive starts for the Wild, but has allowed 11 goals in that span.
Meanwhile, former Flames puck-stopper Cam Talbot has not lost in regulation in his last 15 appearances.
"Our whole game (stunk) tonight," Wild Head Coach and former Flame Dean Evason told Jessi Pierce of NHL.com. "We got what we deserved. That hasn't happened to us, fortunately, and we didn't shoot the puck. We were just going through the lineup and you don't go through everybody, but it's hard to find a good player here tonight."
Scathing.
Minnesota has two games left and is tied with the St. Louis Blues for second in the Central Division with 109 points. It's a key race for both teams, as whoever finishes in that coveted runner-up spot will have home-ice advantage in their upcoming first-round playoff series.
The Blues have only game left on their schedule - at home to the now-eliminated Vegas Golden Knights on Friday - but do hold the tiebreaker.
"Personally, I've got to be better," Fleury said. "I feel like I'm giving up a lot of goals lately. It's making me mad, but (I've got to) keep working and keep practicing hard and move on to the next one."
Video: Markstrom, Mangiapane lead Flames over Wild, 5-1
COURTESY OF FLAMES PR
THE DARRYL SUTTER WAY: With the win on Tuesday, Darryl Sutter has now recorded 699 victories as an NHL head coach. His next win will tie him with Mike Babcock for the 10th-most in NHL history with 700 … This is the first time in Sutter's career that he's led a team to 50 regular-season wins, with his previous high being 48 with the LA Kings in 2015-16. This is also Sutter's best points percentage in a season at .688, beating his previous high of .622, set in 2011-12 with the Kings ... Sutter will reach the postseason as a head coach for the 15th time in his career this season, with an overall record of 89-81, with two Stanley Cup victories. His last playoff appearance as head coach was in 2015-16 with the Kings.
DID YOU KNOW? Johnny Gaudreau picked up another two helpers in Tuesday's victory is now tied with Paul Reinhart for the fifth-most multi-assist games in franchise history at 85. Gaudreau is now up to 113 points on the year, which is the third-most in a single season by a U.S.-born player, trailing Pat Lafontaine, who had 148 in 1992-93 and Kevin Stevens who had 123 in 1991-92 … Gaudreau needs only two more assists for 400 in his career, and to become only the fifth player in franchise history to record 400 apples with the team. Gaudreau's 74 helpers this season are the third-most in a season in Flames lore, and only one back of tying Al MacInnis (75) for the second-most in a season.
Stick tap to Flames PR guru Dalton Ulrich for compiling these nuggets
The 16 teams that will compete for Lord Stanley are officially locked in. But who the Flames will host in Game 1 of the postseason remains to be seen.
Will it be Nashville, or Dallas?
The Stars officially punched their ticket to the dance last night, but did so in a rather shocking manner - blowing a 3-0, third-period lead to the Coyotes, before losing the extra point in overtime.
The Stars have one game remaining - at home to the Anaheim Ducks on Friday - and currently occupy the first wild-card spot, one point up on the Predators.
The Preds, meanwhile, have two left on their schedule and do hold the tiebreaker (regulation wins) over the Stars.
But, as reported following Tuesday's game, they'll have to do so now without their star netminder, Juuse Saros.
Whichever team finishes first will book a trip to Calgary.
The other will head to Colorado to face the top-ranked Avalanche.
Video: "Win or lose, it was a fun game"
Rasmus Andersson on picking up another two helpers on Tuesday, and recording his first-ever 50-point season in the NHL:
"It's something I'm proud of. But as I've said before, when the team's winning and the team's going good, a lot of guys are going to have career years. I'm one of a few. Fifty points is definitely something I'll remember."
Andersson's D partner, Noah Hanifin, on how Tuesday's victory can really galvanize the team heading into the playoffs:
"It was such a blast. All of us were talking about it after the game. That's what hockey is all about, playing in games like that. Playing in games like that. It's emotional and I know for us it doesn't change much in terms of what's going to happen for us, but that's big-boy hockey. That's fun. I think aside from the penalties and stuff like that, that's the intensity we're going to need to play with in the playoffs. "
