5 THINGS - FLAMES VS. MAPLE LEAFS

NEED-TO-KNOW
ONLINE 50/50
Purchase your online 50/50 tickets for a chance at some big cash! Sales open at 9 a.m. MT
GAME DAY VIDEO
Game Day with Brendan Parker
Pre-Game Interviews
GAME DAY FEATURES
Remaining Vigilant
COMING SOON: Projected Lineup
STAT PACK
Head-to-Head Stats
Media Game Notes
Scoring Leaders
WANT TO WIN SOME CASH?!

Leading Scorers:
Flames:
Points - Elias Lindholm (31)
Goals - Johnny Gaudreau (13)
Maple Leafs:
Points - Mitch Marner (46)
Goals - Auston Matthews (24)
Special Teams:
Flames:
PP - 20.2% (17th) / PK - 80.0% (15th)
Maple Leafs:
PP - 24.1% (8th) / PK - 77.7% (20th)
Advanced Stats:
Flames:
Shot Attempts: 51.90% (8th)
High-Danger Chances: 50.61% (14th)
Maple Leafs:
Shot Attempts: 50.62% (12th)
High-Danger Chances: 54.95% (6th)

1. LAST TIME OUT

It was another hard-fought, back-and-forth, nail-biting third period between the two arch enemies.
Unfortunately for the Flames, they were unable to draw even despite a furious late push, and the Oilers hung on to win the seventh installment of the Battle of the Alberta on Friday at Rogers Place.
The out-of-town crew had 1-0 and 2-1 leads thanks to goals from Michael Stone and Matthew Tkachuk, but Edmonton rallied each time, setting the stage for Connor McDavid's go-ahead goal in the front half of the closing 20.
Jacob Markstrom got the nod for the fifth straight game and stopped 22 of the 25 shots he faced, as the Flames fell to 16-19-3 on the year.
"I don't know," a sullen Matthew Tkachuk said of what the difference was in another narrow, one-goal game. "It's happened a couple times against these guys in this rink. It's an even game and then they score late and they come out of here with two (points) and we come out of here with absolutely nothing."
The Flames had a strong showing and have to be pleased with how they competed. But with only 18 games left in the season - and possibly less, considering the ongoing COVID situation with the Vancouver Canucks affecting the North Division schedule - a 'good effort' is of little consolation.
"Tie game, you've got to get to the net," said Head Coach Darryl Sutter. "(Elias Lindholm) has a chance with the goalie out, you've got to bury it. You've got to get to 65 minutes.
"You can't be satisfied to say that we were close or that you tried hard."
The Flames had a spirited practice on Saturday and will now open a two-game set with the Leafs, looking to get themselves back into the playoff race.

2. KNOW YOUR ENEMY

Simply put: They're rolling.
The Leafs are coming off a thrilling, 2-1 shooting victory in Winnipeg on Friday, and are now Canada's top team, four points clear of both the Jets and Oilers for first place in the North.
Jason Spezza delivered the winner with a beautiful forehand deke in the skills contest, while Travis Dermott tallied Toronto's only marker in regulation.
The Leafs have now won two straight and are 5-0-1 in their last six, thanks in large part to the exemplary work of goaltender Jack Campbell, who's undefeated in eight appearances this year.
Campbell made 31 saves and stopped all three in the shootout to put himself within a stone's throw of the record books.
Felix Potvin, Jacques Plante and John Ross Roach all share the Leafs record for the longest winning streaks among goaltenders with nine consecutive victories.
Potvin, like Campbell, achieved his in a similar, season-opening fashion.
"Just outstanding," Toronto skipper Sheldon Keefe said of his puck-stopper. "You can see his confidence growing and you can see the team's confidence in him growing as well. Just terrific. He was playing in a game tonight with virtually no room for error and he was there on all the breakdowns that we had.
"He was really good. Obviously, a huge reason why we got points here tonight."
Added Dermott, whose goal was his first in 23 games: "He stole the show, like he always seems to do."
Indeed, Campbell has been The Guy, helping the Leafs handle some mid-season adversity and turn things around since incumbent starter Frederik Andersen went down with an injury.
However, with the heavier workload he's been thrust into over the past few weeks, Michael Hutchinson will get the start in goal tonight. Campbell, who had a maintenance day on Saturday, will likely get the call in the return match on Monday.
"We've got to re-group and get ready to play a Calgary team that's played us hard," Keefe said. "They're very close, they're tight games, tight-checking, and you've got to find and work to get offence, get to the net. They make it hard for you to find ways to do that, so we're going to have to re-group here, get a little rest and get ready to go."

3. THIS, THAT & THE OTHER

THIS: Mikael Backlund will be back in the lineup after missing Friday's game with undisclosed injury. The veteran did not participate in Saturday's practice, but was back on the ice for Sunday's optional. "He's ready to go," Sutter said. … THAT: Mark Giordano is one point shy of 500 in his career. … THE OTHER: Matthew Tkachuk (3-2-5), Sean Monahan (2-3-5) and Rasmus Andersson (0-5-5) lead the Flames in head-to-head scoring vs. Toronto this year.

4. PLAYERS TO WATCH

Flames - Michael Stone
Here's the thing about Stone: The guy has an absolute cannon.
The 6-foot-3, 210-lb. blueliner did what he does Friday, pulling the puck into a prime shooting position and uncorking a blistering slapshot that beat a screened Mike Smith high over the blocker.
It was his first NHL tally in almost 15 months, but his third strike at the pro level, after notching a pair with the Stockton Heat last week.
Stone finished the Battle of Alberta with a solid, 54.17% Corsi, along with a 63.64% (7-4) share of the scoring chances in 15:07 of 5-on-5 ice time.
"I think those games (with the Heat) were huge to get game play," he said. "Just to have an opponent and not to be bumping around with my own guys anymore. It really helped me get back to the pace of a live hockey game.
"I kind of feel like I'm getting into a rhythm. I don't think anything's normal this year, but I feel like I'm back playing like my old self or pretty close to."

Maple Leafs - Jason Spezza
With names like Matthews, Marner, Tavares, Hyman, Nylander and Thornton, the Leafs have plenty of weapons to watch out for.
But at 37 years old, Spezza appears to have found new life in the Big Smoke.
The hometown 'kid' has eight goals (and 20 points) in 36 games this year - equating to an 18-goal pace over a full, 82-game schedule.
The last time he scored anywhere that many was in the 2016-17 campaign, when he struck for 15 as a member of the Dallas Stars.
Like Mark Giordano has repeatedly shown here in Calgary, Spezza, too, is living proof that age is only a number.
"Talent, obviously, is the biggest thing," Keefe said. "And, he continually works at his game, so that talent stays sharp. When there are opportunities to produce offence, he can take advantage of it. With where he's at now in his career, he's playing lower in the lineup for us, which I think does create some opportunities in terms of matchups at different times.
"Early in his career, teams go in and they talk a great deal about trying to shut down Jason Spezza, and I think things have turned There are other people that they're focused on, worried about. He's one of those guys that has the ability to make a difference for us lower in the lineup, and with the matchups and the ice time that we give him, it gives him that chance."

5. QUOTABLE

"I think it motivates you a little bit. You get some energy going. It's not what anyone wants - you always want to be in the lineup helping your team win. But you've got to look at it for the greater good of everyone. If I'm not at my best, I'm not helping my team. So, to take a step back and look at it and realistically take a look at how you're playing, you move and get ready for when you have a chance to play.
"You don't take it for granted. You want to be in every night, you appreciate it. To be able to sit out and watch, you really understand how hard it is to win, to do the little things right throughout the 65 minutes that we have to play. When you really watched the details from afar, it really is a little (clearer)."
- Dillon Dube on getting back in the lineup Friday after sitting out the previous three