5 Things - Flames @ Bruins

1. Ch-ch-changes

So, to recap:

Andrei Kuzmenko was acquired by the Flames in a trade that sent Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 31. 

Martin Pospisil – who suffered an upper-body injury on Jan. 18 vs. Toronto – was activated off IR and has returned to his usual post alongside Nazem Kadri and Connor Zary.

Jakob Pelletier and Kevin Rooney are officially back in the rotation after missing the past four months with shoulder injuries suffered in training camp. 

While boarding their flight to the eastern seaboard, the Flames claimed tough-as-nails D man Brayden Pachal off waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights, and after taking the red-eye from Sin City, the Estevan, Sask. native arrived at the team hotel at 7 a.m. ET before suiting up for his first practice only hours later. 

That about cover it?

In the span of only eight days, the Flames resume their 2023-24 season looking a whole lot different than they did in their last outing, a 1-0 win over the Blackhawks on Jan. 27.

“It feels good to see everyone back and hear some stories about their vacations,” said Rasmus Andersson, who was one of a handful of players to spend the week in sunny Mexico. “There were a lot of new faces and we tried to have a good skate, a good sweat, and try to have some fun out there with the new guys as well.”

The Flames (22-22-5) return from the break with some work to do, staring up at a five-point deficit between them and the final playoff spot in the West. 

And it was clear, based on a four-game skid preceding their one-goal, pre-holiday win over the Hawks, that a reset was needed. 

“I think a lot of us needed a mental break,” Andersson said. “You notice you're mentally drained - a lot of travel, a lot of games. And then you kind of know in the back of your head, too, 'Oh, it's only two more games, then one more game (until the break).' It's the mental side of things. But it feels good to be back and feel re-energized.”

Andersson’s D partner, MacKenzie Weegar, said the new faces added some “pop” into Monday’s practice. 

With tests against the Bruins, Devils, Islanders and Rangers upcoming, the added juice can only be a good thing for this team as they look to mount a push in the second half.

2. Know Your Enemy

The Bruins entered the break on a winning note, clobbering the Philadelphia Flyers 6-2 back on Jan. 27 to win their second straight and seventh in their past eight. 

David Pastrnak (2G, 1A) and James van Riemsdyk (1G, 2A) led the way with a pair of three-point efforts, while Charlie McAvoy had a goal and an assist and Pavel Zacha factored in with two helpers.

Danton Heinen chipped in with a single to round out the offence, while Linus Ullmark made 35 saves.

Pastrnak, meanwhile, now has five multi-point games in his last eight outings (8G, 7A), giving the perennial all-star a cornea-scorching 33 goals and 72 points in only 49 games this season.

“He's a game-breaker, right?” Bruins Head Coach Jim Montgomery said of the sharp-shooting winger. "And he gives us an advantage that, in close games, we can win them.”

This is the second straight season Pastrnak has reached the 70-point plateau in fewer than 50 games. He's the fifth Bruins player to accomplish that feat, joining Phil Esposito (six times), Bobby Orr (six), Adam Oates (twice) and Bill Cowley (twice).

The Bruins (31-9-9) are having another immaculate season, pacing the Atlantic Division by five points over the Florida Panthers. They’re especially strong on home ice, where they’ve amassed a 16-4-3 record, along with a staggering +31 goal differential at the hostile TD Garden. 

This is the first of a season-long seven-game homestand for the Bruins, who won’t play their next set of road games until they visit Alberta on Feb. 21 (Edmonton) and 22 (Calgary). 

“The Cup is up for grabs,” Pastrnak said following Monday’s practice. “That's our goal. We're focusing on this group. We had a good first half, we can see we're building and coming together, and are coming closer and closer as the season moves on and that's very important, so by the time the playoffs start, we're as tight as can be.”

3. Fast Facts

Hometown Hanifin:

Boston native Noah Hanifin is set to face his childhood team for the 17th time in his career. He has four goals and 12 points in the 16 games prior, and has recorded a point in six of eight meetings with the B's as a member of the Flames (2G, 5A).

Did You Know?

Andrei Kuzmenko is slated to become the first skater in Flames history to wear the number 96.

4. Quotable

Head Coach Ryan Huska on Jakob Pelletier and Kevin Rooney both returning from shoulder surgery:

“Our doctors, first of all, and (Head Sports Physiotherapist) Kent (Kobelka) and his medical staff, have done a ridiculously good job of making sure they’re in a position to play right now and have had (four) games under their belt in the American Hockey League. Both guys really committed to working hard, in the training room to start with and then in the gym, then getting on the ice. So, we’re happy for them and it’s nice to see them back here.”

Canton, Mass. native Rooney on getting called up in his hometown:

“The first (phone) call, right to my parents. It kind of felt like it was my first NHL call-up again. Just to be home, probably going to have lots of people here (tonight), I don’t know how many passes or how many tickets I’m going to get, but it’s exciting.”

5. Players To Watch

Flames - Jakob Pelletier

If you’re wondering if the kid lost any of that youthful exuberance over the past four months, think again.

Pelletier took to the ice Monday and was his usual, smiley self, hugging nearly every one of his teammates between drills to help bring levity to an otherwise heavy workday in Boston.

And considering the many miles of broken glass he and Kevin Rooney had to trudge through to get back to this point, the 22-year-old had every reason to feel jovial.

“It feels good,” a grinning Pelletier said. “All the work we did since October, I think it prepared us for the games the past few weeks. Now, we're here and we're pumped to be here, of course.”

Pelletier suffered an injury to his left shoulder in his preseason debut. He had surgery a week later and a long road to recovery followed, with Rooney – coincidentally – marching in lockstep. Click here to read more on the pair's unique journey back to full health, courtesy of *FlamesTV*'s Brendan Parker.

“I thought I was going to pass out on the ice, because it hurt (so bad),” Pelletier said of the Sept. 25 incident. “It was kind of... like a kick to (the groin), you know what I mean? It sucks. But you look back on it and it makes you stronger as a person and as a player, and now I'm more starving to be here and to play games and to win games.”

Pelletier played four games with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, scoring twice and adding one assist, before being recalled on Sunday.

He lined up on the fourth line with Rooney (and Cole Schwindt) in the middle and Walker Duehr on the opposite flank at Monday’s practice.

Bruins - Trent Frederic

Frederic, typically, isn’t known for blistering offensive numbers.

But what we’re seeing now clearly falls into that category.

The 25-year-old is riding a career-high five-game point streak (1G, 5A) and enters tonight's game only two points off his career high of 31.