5 THINGS - FLAMES @ CANADIENS

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
COMING SOON: Pre-Game Feature
COMING SOON: Projected Lineup
Say What - 'I Think We're All Capable of That'
STAT PACK
Head-to-Head Stats
Media Game Notes
Scoring Leaders
WANT TO WIN SOME CASH?!

Leading Scorers:
Flames:
Points - Elias Lindholm (37)
Goals - Johnny Gaudreau (15)
Canadiens:
Points - Tyler Toffoli, Jeff Petry (30)
Goals - Toffoli (19)
Special Teams:
Flames:
PP - 20.3% (15th) / PK - 80.9% (12th)
Canadiens:
PP - 20.2% (16th) / PK - 76.9% (23rd)
Advanced Stats:
Flames:
Shot Attempts: 52.13% (8th)
High-Danger Chances: 51.14% (12th)
Canadiens:
Shot Attempts: 55.22% (2nd)
High-Danger Chances: 54.79% (5th)

1. LAST TIME OUT

In a word?
Huge.
To go out and dictate the pace, dominate the game at both ends of the rink and skate away with a clean two points in the process, it sure says a lot about the belief in the locker-room.
The Flames not only held serve - they sent a shot clean across the bow of the Montreal Canadiens that said: 'We're not going anywhere.'
Thanks to goals by Noah Hanifin, Mark Giordano, Josh Leivo and Sean Monahan, along with 26 saves from Jacob Markstrom, the Flames are now four points back of the Habs for that fourth and final playoff spot.
There's a long way to go - especially with Montreal holding three games in hand - but this pivotal, five-game, head-to-head stretch couldn't have gotten off to a better start if you're the road team.
"Every game is a big game and right now, we're fighting for our lives," Monahan said. "We've got to win games night in and night out. We're taking it day-by-day, but that (playoff) feel is there and it's been there all year, so we've got to rise to the occasion."
Just like in a playoff series, it's fair to assume the hometown Canadiens will bounce back with a better effort this evening, but it's on the Flames to do the same.
Hanifin - who's been the poster child for elevating one's game this year - expects that from his group when the puck drops at the Bell Centre.
"I've said this in the past - that in this division, you're going to get those head-to-head games where you can really climb back in," he said. "This is a team we're chasing and we know how important these games are. It's definitely nice to start off this series with a win.
"(On Wednesday), we got off to a good start, We got pucks behind their defencemen, which is what we want to do. We've got to play fast against these guys. I thought we've done that the last few times we've played them and obviously we have four more games coming up with them. They're going to ramp it up and we're going to ramp it up as well.
"It's a huge game coming up."

2. VALI-DATION

With the poise that he plays with, it's easy to forget that Juuso Valimaki is only 22 years old, has less than a full season of NHL experience under his belt, and spent the entire 2019-20 campaign recovering from a serious knee injury.
Young players have growing pains, and Valimaki is no different.
But now, it's clear a little practice time has done wonders for his game.
"I've been feeling really good," said Valimaki, scored the Flames' opening goal on Monday's victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. "The last couple weeks have been a little different and tough for me, but I feel really good out there and I think I've been bringing my (best) effort and helping the team win."
Valimaki has played three straight after getting a press-box view in four of the previous five tilts.
Head Coach Darryl Sutter wants him to play faster and have an edge to his game on a nightly basis in order to lock down a more permanent spot in the lineup.
Valimaki agrees, even using a line that Sutter so famously coined a few weeks ago, that "OK" is "not OK" at this level.
He knows he's better than that.
"I think the biggest message has been, every day - whether it's a game or a practice - the idea of me wanting more, and to be better overall," Valimaki said. "It's not specifically one or two things - it's always having the mindset to … always be better, to work and when you do get in the lineup, to try to make a difference and put all your effort in there.
"We had a good conversation earlier and it kind of made sense to me a little more and, like I said, I think I've been playing pretty good in the last couple of games."
Valimaki played 13:18 and tied a season high with four shots on goal in Wednesday's victory.
"We expect these guys that are young players with not much experience to put the work in and work at what they have to get better at," Sutter said. "I think he did that last week, but that doesn't mean you painted the barn red that quick."

3. KILLING IT

The bigger the role, the better.
Impact players love being at the centre of the action, no matter what the situation.
Sean Monahan has been that for the Flames recently, and is now adding to his ever-evolving resume as one of the team's go-to penalty-killers.
No. 23 had 57 seconds of short-handed ice time Wednesday, which came on the heels of an impeccable,1:04 in Monday's win over the Buds.
Over the course of both nights, he's actually out-chanced the powerplay 2-1, while surrendering only a single shot on goal.
The sample size may be small, but the skipper loves the early returns from one of his hardest-working players.
"I think, very clearly, when you ask people to become more responsible 5-on-5 - in turn, if they are doing that, as a coach you should give them a carrot, also," Sutter said. "Sean was heavily invested in playing that part of the game and being really good at it 5-on-5 … and there's the carrot."
Monahan loves the increase in responsibility and says playing on the PK helps him focus on his defensive obligations.
"I like it," he said. "It gets you in the game more, gets you engaged. I played on the penalty kill a few years ago now, but it gets you in there and gets you focused defensively, for sure.
"If you go out there on a PK have a big block and get the puck out, that king of stuff creates momentum. Guys (feed) off that and as an individual, that makes you want to push and get more in that game."

4. PLAYERS TO WATCH

Flames - Josh Leivo
Four shots in 10:39 of ice time? Talk about making the most of your reps.
The 27-year-old has both in both games on this trip, slotting back in after the Flames traded Sam Bennett to the Florida Panthers.
He's been a great addition to the fourth line with Derek Ryan and Brett Ritchie, and earned plenty of praise from his coach following Wednesday's victory.
"It was good to see Josh and Brett and Derek score a goal," Sutter said. "They quietly do a good job for us, so it's good to see those guys get us that goal."

Canadiens - Jonathan Drouin
Let's face it: No one player on this Habs roster can easily replace Brendan Gallagher.
But with the Habs' top forward out for the rest of the regular season with a fractured thumb, somebody will have to step up.
Drouin needs to be that guy.
The former 21-goal-scorer with Tampa Bay Lightning has only a pair of tucks this year - far and away the lowest of his career - and is failing to get much of anything near the net in his quest to break out.
He has only one shot on goal in each of the past three games and his goalless in his last 22 outings dating back to Feb. 23.
However, Drouin does have a pair of apples in two straight games. Is the tide beginning to shift?
Only time will tell.

5. QUOTABLE

"I think that they are - to be quite honest - working very hard to try and do that. Even today, we do a classroom-style (practice) to reinforce some of the areas where they have to get better at. It should come natural to them. They can't read it in the book when they're out on the ice and it's not being called in from the box upstairs. They have to react quicker and better and that's something that takes time to get better (at). It's something that needs to be reinforced again. We played three games in four days and that needs to be reinforced ... again. The players have done a good job responding to that."
- Darryl Sutter on the players 'thinking less and reacting more' on the ice