5 Things - Flames @ Hurricanes

1. Time To Reset

Right back at it.

The Flames are looking to turn the page quickly on Saturday's 3-0 loss to the Florida Panthers and have the opportunity to do so in short order.

"It’s a challenge, and it’s not getting easier, right?" Ryan Lomberg said post-game on Saturday afternoon. "We’ve got a big test (today) against the Hurricanes. It’s about being able to put this one behind us, get back on the horse, and bring our best effort next game."

While the club was not happy with their overall performance against the Panthers, one very bright spot on Saturday afternoon was the play of Dan Vladar.

The netminder made 39 saves in the loss, some of them coming in spectacular fashion, and held his team in the game.

"It’s too bad, we obviously let him down," Lomberg said. "He stood in there and gave us a chance. We hung him out to dry quite a bit today, disappointing from the group to do that to him. An incredible effort by him."

Plenty of his saves came on second and third attempts on net from Florida, seeing him make wildly acrobatic stops.

"Competitive, like he never quit on any puck," head coach Ryan Huska remarked. "Like you saw some of the saves he made today, some of those were ridiculous saves. He had the competitive side to him today."

In his last three games, Vladar has made 94 saves on the 100 shots he's faced, he's posted a 2-1-0 record in that stretch.

Saturday's setback marked the second game in a row the team has been blanked offensively, something they're looking to recitify on Sunday afternoon by dialling in on the basics. Getting more traffic in front of the net and getting to more rebounds will be key against the Hurricanes.

"It’s not a great position to be in, but the only way we get out of it is to play the way we can, like play the right way," Mikael Backlund said post-game on Saturday. "We’re not going to be able to cheat, and go for offence. We’ve got to stick with our game plan, trust our team game and get more bodies to the net, make it hard on the goalies."

2. Know Your Enemy

The Hurricanes also suited up on Saturday, falling 3-1 to the Edmonton Oilers at Lenovo Center.

Sebastian Aho scored Carolina's lone goal, while netminder Frederik Andersen made 28 saves in the setback.

The Hurricanes had three powerplay opportunities in the opening 15 minutes but failed to connect on any of them. They allowed a short-handed marker early on in the game as well, giving the Oilers momentum in the opening period.

"We always seem to (start slow and come alive late). The start wasn't good, obviously," head coach Rod Brind'Amour told CarolinaHurricanes.com. "The urgency [was not there], giving up a shorty, you're not going to recover from that too often. That's what got us tonight."

Corey Perry scored in the second period, which would stand up as the game-winner after Aho was able to connect with the man-advantage in the third period. Adam Henrique netted the insurance marker for the Oilers with one second left in regulation.

"I thought the first period was the worst period for us," Aho told CarolinaHurricanes.com. "You'd like us starting better, especially with how we've been playing lately. Guys are working hard and we always get to our game, but we've got to bring it from the first shift. Three power plays and if you're not scoring, you're not scoring, but giving up one too, that hurts. But we were right there and had plenty of chances to tie the game and force OT."

With the loss, the Hurricanes now have a 34-22-4 record, sitting second in the Metropolitan Division with 72 points.

3. Fast Facts

Dan Vladar has played 99 games in his NHL career, and with one more can become the 13th goalie of Czech descent to reach 100 games.

In 39 career games, Jonathan Huberdeau has scored 11 goals and 34 points against the Hurricanes.

Dustin Wolf has faced the Hurricanes once in his young career, stopped 28 of 30 shots and picking up a win back on Dec. 7, 2023. It marked his first win of the 2023-24 season, in which he started 15 games that year.

Kevin Bahl is two games shy of the 200-mark in his career.

Jonathan Huberdeau leads the Flames in points against the Hurricanes with 11 goals and 34 points in 39 career games.

4. A Look At The Wildcard Race

The Flames head into today's contest with a 28-23-3 record and 64 points in 59 games, sitting one point out of the second Wildcard spot in the West. The Vancouver Canucks are currently sitting in the final Wildcard position with a 27-22-11 record and 65 points in 60 games. The Colorado Avalanche are holding onto the first Wildcard spot with a 35-24-2 record and 72 points in 61 games.

The Pacific Division currently shakes down like this:

1. Vegas - 35-18-6 - 76 points

2. Edmonton - 35-21-4 - 74 points

3. LA - 31-19-8 - 70 points

5. Players To Watch

Flames - MacKenzie Weegar

Weegar laid it all out on the line on Saturday afternoon, posting four shots, four blocked shots, and two hits in his team-high 28:56 of ice time against his former club.

The defenceman has been getting plenty of pucks to the net recently - over his last five games, he's put 18 shots on net - and he'll be no doubt pushing to get even more towards the Carolina netminder on Sunday as the team tries to kickstart their offence.

Weegar has played in 22 games against the Hurricanes in his career, netting four goals and 12 points while putting 48 shots on net.

Hurricanes - Mikko Rantanen

The forward has been generating more offence as of late, picking up four points and putting nine shots on net in his last four games, and sits as the Hurricanes scoring leader with 70 points on the year. On Saturday, he had an assist on Sebastian Aho's powerplay goal and was credited with two shots on net.

As he continues to try to settle in with his new team, he'll be looking to provide more firepower for Carolina as the playoffs creep closer.