5 THINGS - FLAMES VS. CANADIENS

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GAME DAY VIDEO
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GAME DAY FEATURES
COMING SOON: Projected Lineup
STAT PACK
Head-to-Head Stats
Media Game Notes
Scoring Leaders
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Leading Scorers:
Flames:
Points - Elias Lindholm (39)
Goals - Johnny Gaudreau (15)
Canadiens:
Points - Tyler Toffoli (33)
Goals - Toffoli (22)
Special Teams:
Flames:
PP - 19.4% (19th) / PK - 80.7% (11th)
Canadiens:
PP - 19.0% (21st) / PK - 77.8% (22nd)
Advanced Stats:
Flames:
Shot Attempts: 52.26% (7th)
High-Danger Chances: 51.67% (10th)
Canadiens:
Shot Attempts: 54.95% (2nd)
High-Danger Chances: 54.43% (6th)

1. HERE. WE. GO.

Players, fans and media types have all waited with bated breath. Now, this critical stretch of the campaign has officially entered the chat.
With the first of three straight against the Montreal Canadiens on tap tonight at the Scotiabank Saddledome, the Flames are hoping to use the pressure of the moment - that unequivocal sense of urgency - to extract their best.
"We're looking at them, basically, as do-or-dies," captain Mark Giordano said of this crucial weekend series with the very team they're chasing. "When you're playing a team directly ahead of you head-to-head, it's obviously even more important.
"It's an opportunity for us to get right back in it if we can take care of business, so that's the way we're looking at it."
The Flames trail the Montreal Canadiens by eight points for that fourth and final playoff spot, and while the Habs do hold a game in hand, this three-game pressure-cooker will go a long way to setting the field for the upcoming spring dance.
A hometown sweep, for example, would close the gap to only two points, with eight games left to make up the rest.
Hey, no one said it would be easy.
But as long the math adds up and the Flames have a shot with a strong sprint to the finish.
'One game at a time' and all that, but aim high.
Just don't let the weight of it all cripple you.
"Anytime you get into these situations or games that mean so much, you don't want to put too much pressure (on yourself)," Giordano said. "Just play the game.
"Make mistakes by being too aggressive, if anything.
"But you've got to be on the right side of those little battles. You can't put so much pressure on yourself as an individual that you can't execute properly. Those are little things you can do."

2. KNOW YOUR ENEMY

The Habs are coming off a 4-3 win over the Oilers on Wednesday to snap a mini, two-game slide.
Josh Anderson scored twice and was a broken stick away from potting his hat-trick marker into the empty net, while Jake Allen made 22 stops in the victory.
Tyler Toffoli and Artturi Lehkonen rounded out the scoring for the victors.
"I think we have to look back on this game and continue to build on that performance," Anderson told NHL.com. "I thought we played a solid game, I thought everybody was engaged, and all four lines were rolling. Jake back there was a wall for us and gave us a really good shot at winning tonight."
Montreal was far and away the better team for 55 minutes, before Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jesse Puljujarvi scored late to make it a one-goal game.
The Habs entered the night with losses in six of their past eight, while scoring a paltry 12 goals in the process, but certainly found a new gear with a fast, physical performance that took a toll on Edmonton's top gunners.
Ben Chiarot led the way with a game-high nine hits, while Paul Byron (7), Joel Armia (6) and Jesperi Kotkaniemi (5) made their presence felt, also.
She Weber has been criticized for his play over the past few weeks, but responded with a monster night in the Alberta capital, playing almost 24 minutes and recording four hits and three blocked shots.
That seemed to get the attention of Flames Head Coach Darryl Sutter, saying the Habs' veteran D core will present a challenge for his group.
"You've got your work cut out when you play against them in terms of your compete level and trying to play in their zone," he said. "The guys up front, obviously, with Corey Perry and Eric Staal, those guys have come in and I'm sure have given them some really strong leadership in the dressing room. But as a group, their defence, other than (21-year-old Alexander) Romanov, are guys with - if you add it up - have a pile of games in the league and with that come a lot of playoff games and a lot of success which, in comparison, would be quite different than our group."
The Habs got a bit of a boost to their blueline for Wednesday's tilt, as trade deadline acquisition Jon Merrill made his Montreal debut after spending a week in quarantine.
As a result, former Flame Brett Kulak was the odd-man out.

3. HEAD-TO-HEAD STATS

Leading Scorers:
Flames:
Elias Lindholm - 6 points (1G, 5A)
Canadiens:
Jonathan Drouin - 4 points (4A)
Goaltenders:
Flames:
Jacob Markstrom: 4-1-0 with a .961 save percentage and a 1.10 goals-against average
Louis Domingue: 0-0-0
Canadiens:
Jake Allen: 1-3-0 with a .943 save percentage and a 1.78 goals-against average
Cayden Primeau: 0-0-0
Flames Advanced Stats:
Shot Attempts: 53.12% (281-248) | Scoring Chances: 52.59% (132-119) | High-Danger Chances: 52.22% (47-43)

4. PLAYERS TO WATCH

Flames - Matthew Tkachuk
In big games, you turn to your leaders. And no one will want to bounce back more from Monday's defeat than No. 19.
Tkachuk enters the night without a goal in seven games, but as a player who loves the physical side of the game and certainly isn't shy to mix things up after the whistle, this playoff-like atmosphere could be just what the doctor ordered.
Tkachuk is third on the team for hits in the month of April with 15, trailing only Brett Ritchie (29) and Joakim Nordstrom (28) at even strength.
If Montreal wants to come in and pick up where they left off in Edmonton, you can bet Tkachuk will happily oblige.
Canadiens - Jesperi Kotkaniemi
The 20-year-old made a gorgeous play by weaving his way through the neutral zone, gaining the line and creating space for himself, and threading a beautiful pass to Artturi Lehkonen on Montreal's opening strike Wednesday.
The 2018 third-overall pick made waves when he scored four goals in 10 playoff games last year, so expectations were understandably high at the outset. While confidence (and consistency) has plagued him at times this year, the kid has all sorts of talent and is coming along nicely with his development.
The play on Lehkonen's goal was a prime example of what he's capable of.
In 44 games this year, Kotkaniemi has 20 points (5G, 15A).

5. QUOTABLE

Darryl Sutter on Thursday's intense practice:
"Just sharpen their game up a little bit. When you do a lot of in-zone stuff - meaning, we practice some powerplay and D zone stuff - it tends to slow your practice down. So, we want to make sure that they keep a pace and some momentum so they can carry it into the mindset of a game."
Sean Monahan on the series with the Habs:
"We need to win games and it starts (tonight). … I think we know what we're up against when we're playing them. If we stick to our game plan, and when you're playing smart hockey and bearing down, you're going to get the result that you want."
Habs Head Coach Dominique Ducharme on whether or not Cayden Primeau will get the start in goal tonight:
"We'll see. Eventually he's going to be playing. Is it tomorrow, is it the next game or the game after? We'll see."
On whether or not top prospect Cole Caufield will play this weekend:
"We're going day-by-day. It's tough to answer right now, we're looking at (tonight). After that, who knows? There are so many things that can happen. It's not only my decision or (General Manager) Marc (Bergervin)'s decision - we're all in this together. ... We're a coaching staff, GM, the whole organization, we're all working together here. We have the same goal and we work on things together to make the most out of it."