5 THINGS - FLAMES VS. RANGERS
Flames set for Saturday night battle vs. Rangers
We get you set for tilt with visiting Blueshirts
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GAME DAY VIDEO
Game Day
Pregame Interviews
GAME DAY FEATURES
'Intensity, Enery, Passion'
Projected Lineup
Say What: 'Trying To Climb'
STAT PACK
Media Game Notes
Scoring Leaders
2022-23 Head-to-Head Stats
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Leading Scorers:
Flames:
Points - Elias Lindholm (49)
Goals - Tyler Toffoli (22)
Rangers:
Points - Artemi Panarin (64)
Goals - Mika Zibanejad (30)
Special Teams:
Flames:
PP - 19.2% (24th) / PK - 81.7% (6th)
Rangers:
PP - 22.6% (13th) / PK - 80.9% (10th)
Advanced Stats:
Flames:
Shot Attempts: 57.30% (2nd)
High-Danger Chances: 52.06% (12th)
Rangers:
Shot Attempts: 51.33% (9th)
High-Danger Chances: 48.86% (19th)
###
- LAST TIME OUT
They're still right in the race.
But in need of some wins.
The Flames dropped the first game of this three-game home stand Thursday night against the Red Wings 5-2.
Through the first 30 minutes the clubs traded goals, deadlocked at two apiece when Detroit pulled away. Two goals in just over three minutes from Dominik Kubalik and Tyler Bertuzzi made it a 4-2 game headed into the final frame where Pius Suter sealed the deal.
Elias Lindholm and Dillon Dube found the back of the net for the Flames, while Dan Vladar got the start and made 19 saves.
The loss was the fifth this month in six games.
"It's frustrating, the fans are frustrated, we're frustrated," Jacob Markstrom said Friday after practice. "We want to win, want to play good especially in front of the fans. It feels like we are one good, one bad, very up and down. There's 27 games left, we really need to put our foot down and come together and pull the same way.
"Everyone wants to do the same thing here. It's a great group, the guys are great. Now we just have to put it out there on the ice."
Fast forward to tonight and a match-up with the Rangers awaits, one of the top teams in the East.
Recent clashes between the two have been nothing short of spectacular. The most recent tilt was Feb. 6 at Madison Square Garden and was easily a candidate for Game of the Year that saw New York win 5-4 in overtime. And of course, Nov. ,6 2021 with a rocking 'Dome crowd right from puck drop in a 6-0 Flames triumph.
This one should be another classic.
"It's going to take everybody, a lot more effort and a lot more compete," MacKenzie Weegar said. "We're fighting for our lives here right now. And we have to show that we are fighting for our lives. I think last night (Thursday) was a little stale, we didn't show that we were fighting, and it wasn't good enough, we need to be a lot better.
"It's going to take a lot of hard work but I think we can do it in here."
### 2. KNOW YOUR ENEMY
The Rangers come to town after a thrilling 5-4 shootout victory over the Oilers Friday night at Rogers Place.
After falling behind 4-1 after the first 20 minutes, New York would chip away and force extra time with a goal in the second and two in the final frame of regulation.
Chris Kreider scored twice, with Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere adding single tallies. Evander Kane and Kaapo Kakko both scored to open the shootout, with Lafreniere ending the game in round six to compete the comeback.
"I thought we stuck to how we want to play," Zibanejad said after the game. "Obviously we have a good slogan for us. Yet again, there's no quit in New York.
"If you don't pay attention to how we play and really look at the first period you might say that's a horrendous period going down 4-1. Yes result wise. But I thought we did some good things, created chances the way we've talked about all year … We had to make sure we trust our way of playing and just be patient."
The Rangers have been on fire winning all six of their games in February, outscoring the opposition by a 32-20 margin and have gone 8-1-1 in their last 10 games.
With the run they have been on, they now sit just one point back of the Hurricanes for second in the Metropolitan division.
###
- FAST FACTS
LETHAL LINDHOLM: Elias Lindholm is now two points away from becoming the third player from the 2013 NHL Draft to reach the 500-point mark looking to join Nathan MacKinnon (710) and Aleksander Barkov (602). Lindholm would become the eighth active Swedish-born player to reach the milestone.
DIALED IN DUBE: Dillon Dube stayed red-hot on Thursday night against Detroit, scoring for the third-straight game. Dube's goal was his fourth in his last three games, giving him 16 on the season which is tied with Lindholm for the third-most on the team. Dube is now just two goals shy of tying his career-high in goals (18) which he set in 79 games last season. The Flames have a record of 12-1-3 in their last 16 games when Dube finds the back of the net.
###
- PLAYERS TO WATCH
Flames - Mikael Backlund
Backlund is riding a five-game point streak (1G, 4A) and has 10 points in his last nine outings.
With an assist on Lindholm's shorthanded marker last game, Backlund now leads the Flames in short-handed points with three.
Rangers - Artemi Panarin
The top-point producer for the Blue Shirts is on a heater with 14 points in his past six skates, including six goals in three games.
With two assists in Edmonton, Panarin now has 46 assists on the year which sees him tied for sixth in the league.
###
- QUOTABLE
MacKenzie Weegar on the closeness of the group:
"I know for a fact everyone wants to play for each other. We love each other in this room. We got out there and battle every night. This is our job and we love this job, everyone is grateful to be doing this job. We're in this together. I know when I look left and look right to the guys beside me I want to battle for them and they want to do the same for me."
