5 THINGS - FLAMES VS. CANUCKS
Flames wrap up 2022 with divisional battle against Canucks
Video: Brendan Parker sets up tonight's NYE bash
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GAME DAY VIDEO
Game Day with Brendan Parker
Pregame Interviews
GAME DAY FEATURES
Projected Lineup
Say What - 'Had A Lot of Jump'
STAT PACK
Media Game Notes
Scoring Leaders
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Leading Scorers:
Flames:
Points - Elias Lindholm (33)
Goals - Tyler Toffoli (15)
Canucks:
Points - Elias Pettersson (43)
Goals - Bo Horvat (26)
Special Teams:
Flames:
PP - 19.5% (25th) / PK - 80.6% (12th)
Canucks:
PP - 25.9% (8th) / PK - 67.3% (32nd)
Advanced Stats:
Flames:
Shot Attempts: 56.47% (3rd)
High-Danger Chances: 51.93% (14th)
Canucks:
Shot Attempts: 46.63% (27th)
High-Danger Chances: 44.36% (24th)
The talk over the last bit was needing big-time goals from big-time players.
Well, the Flames got just that against the Kraken Wednesday night.
Deadlocked at two apiece in the third period: Enter Jonathan Huberdeau.
The Flames winger corralled a puck in the slot, spun around and fired into the top corner with exactly eight minutes left in regulation. The goal held up as the game-winner as the Flames skated away with a big 3-2 win.
"Yeah, especially after a tough loss here (against Edmonton), going there obviously we knew it was going to be hard, but we stuck with it," Huberdeau said. "(We) showed some character in the third period and found a way to win. We needed that it was huge, to get ahead in the standings as well.
"It felt good. I should've scored earlier in the third when I had that chance in front, I wasn't happy, but I had to redeem myself after that when I had the chance to score. We are creating some chances offensively so that's good for our line, so we got to keep doing that every game."
Tonight presents another impotant divisional clash with the Canucks paying a visit to the 'Dome to wrap up 2022.
"It's a big one," Milan Lucic said. "In order to keep up with the pack it's important to get points and important to win hockey games. We're in a position where it feels like we're playing playoff hockey already. Where every game matters, every two points matters and that's our focus right now, focusing on the next game and focusing on the next two points.
"That's what has helped our game and helped us get points this month."
The Canucks saw their three-game win streak come to an end Thursday night in Winnipeg with a 4-2 decision.
Andrei Kuzmenko and Conor Garland provided the goals while Collin Delia stopped 35 shots. The loss also saw a stretch of seven undefeated road games snapped.
The Canucks got off to a fast start with Kuzmenko's 15th of the season coming just 41 seconds in. After the strong start, the Jets turned on the pressure and rattled off three unanswered goals in the second and never looked back.
"We were happy with the way we started, coming in ready to play, but just couldn't follow it up with anything good in the second and third," Bo Horvat said after the game. "We kind of sat back and got comfortable, and that's the result that happens.
"We took a couple of unfortunate penalties and they capitalized on those."
With the loss, Vancouver sits five points out of the last wildcard spot in the Western Conference but do have two games in hand over the Flames.
Sitting at .500, the Canucks have slowly dug themselves out of the early hole they found themselves in and have gone 6-4 in their last 10 as they continue to make a push.
LINDHOLM 700: Elias Lindholm is slated to skate in his 700th NHL game tonight against the Canucks. Lindholm was drafted fifth overall in the 2013 NHL Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes and skated in his first NHL game on Oct. 4, 2013 against the Detroit Red Wings. He would skate in an additional 373 games as a member of the Hurricanes before being acquired by the Flames in the 2018 off-season. The Boden, Sweden native has since skated in 325 games for Calgary with 128 goals and 166 assists for 294 points while skating in every game for the Flames over the past two seasons (56 in 2021, 82 in 2021-22). Lindholm will become the second Flame to skate in their 700th NHL game this season, joining Jonathan Huberdeau who reached the milestone on Dec. 18 in San Jose.
HOT STARTS: Tyler Toffoli opened the scoring in the 3-2 win in Seattle, with the goal marking the 41st time Calgary has scored in the first period, tied with the Golden Knights for the most among all teams in the NHL. The Flames have scored in the opening frame in seven of their last eight games with a record of 4-2-2 over that stretch.
DID YOU KNOW? Trevor Lewis netted the Flames 1000th goal against the Canucks in franchise history. Calgary has outscored Vancouver 1000-922 over the 296 games the clubs have squared off. Jacques Richard scored the Flames first ever goal against the Canucks on October 28, 1972 while Calgary was based in Atlanta.
Flames - Rasmus Andersson
The blueliner has done it all this season.
Ras has dazzled with his play at both ends and heads into the match-up with five points in as many games (1G, 4A) and continues to play big minutes, averaging 24:54 on the year. His 21 assists are good for second on the team while his four game-winning goals tie for ninth in the league.
Canucks - Elias Pettersson
It's been quite the season for the 24-year-old, currently sitting 11th in league scoring and showing no signs of slowing down.
Pettersson enters the tilt with nine points in four games (3G, 6A).
The Flames amassed the sixth most points through 2022 in the NHL and hold a record of 51-27-12 heading into tonight's contest and averaged the third most shots per game while surrendering the third fewest shots per game on average. Elias Lindholm leads all Flames with 88 points in 2022 (42G, 46A) in 89 games, while Rasmus Andersson sets the mark for all blueliners with 61 points including 52 assists.
