5 Things - Flames vs. Canucks

1. Last Time Out

If you unmask the advanced stats, you'll know the 'expected goals' rate leaned heavily in Montreal's favour.

But in the moment, there's no quick math being done between the ears, no matter how keen the Flames' No.-1 puck-stopper was to wield his noggin, as evidenced by his first-period header that stunned the sharp-shooting Cole Caufield.

No spreadsheets. Only slot shots.

Jacob Markstrom was at his very best, turning aside 34 shots (and 36 scoring chances) as the Flames knocked off the Canadiens 2-1 on Tuesday at the Bell Centre.

“When you see your goaltender at his best, or the way Jacob was in Montreal, it gives them a little bit of extra confidence, knowing that if (they) happen to make a mistake, he's going to make a save tonight,” said Head Coach Ryan Huska. “When you see a goaltender that's on the way he was, I think it puffs up your whole team a little bit. It allows them to play with a little more freedom, knowing that if something does happen, we're OK because he's going to bail me out.”

And so, he did. Again and again, beginning only a few minutes into the contest with the aforementioned skull stop, before switching to more traditional methods.

He robbed Caufield (again) late in the period, flashing the left pad to make a dynamite save on a 2-on-1. In the second period, he played the hero on a shorthanded counter-attack, thwarting Jake Evans with another leg stop to keep the game scoreless.

His best, though, came with the game in the balance, dazzling his teammates with a wicked glove save on Josh Anderson late to preserve the victory.

“It gives us a lot of energy,” said captain Mikael Backlund. “The saves he made early, it gives us a lot of juice. It was great to see him coming back after a week off and play that well. He's had a really good start to the season and I'm really happy that we were able to find a way to get a win for him.”

Connor Zary (with his first-ever multi-point game in the NHL) and Nazem Kadri scored in the win, as the Flames return home with a 1-1-1 on their all-Canadian eastern road swing.

The Flames now have points in four of their last five games overall (3-1-1) and will look to improve on that as they begin a two-game homestand tonight against their divisional foes.

2. Know Your Enemy

The Canucks were in action last night, charging back from a two-goal deficit to clip the New York Islanders 4-3 in overtime.

Quinn Hughes nabbed the OT winner with 2:24 to play in the 3-on-3 session, taking a stretch pass from J.T. Miller, breaking in alone and beating Ilya Sorokin clean over the glove.

Miller, Brock Boeser and Filip Hronek supplied the offence as the powerplay went 3-for-6 in regulation, while Thatcher Demko – who entered the night with a league-leading .935 save percentage – stopped 30 of 33 shots in the Vancouver crease. Hughes, Boeser and Miller all had three-point nights to pace the homeside offensively.

Hronek's goal, meanwhile, was clocked at 100.37mph, which is the ninth-fastest of the season according to NHL EDGE. The booming one-timer was the blueliner's first goal of the season after opening the campaign with 16 straight helpers, with 13 of those coming on a 10 (now 11)-game point streak.

"It was one of those games where we had to step up," Miller said in a postgame chat with Sportsnet's Dan Murphy. "Some lines were really, really good for us tonight 5-on-5. Ours wasn't up to the standard that we like to play at. I feel like Barzal's line had us hemmed in a couple times and they played well, but good teams find ways to win different ways. We battled 'til the end. We got better as the game went on and the powerplay stepped up when we needed it."

The win moves Vancouver to 12-3-1 on the year, tied with the Vegas Golden Knights for first place in the Pacific and the top spot in the Western Conference.

"It sounds awesome," Miller said of their place in the standings. "But I think we've got to where we're at because of the attitude we've had. We're going to enjoy it tonight and get ready for a hard game tomorrow."

Wednesday’s tilt marked the emotional return of longtime Canuck Bo Horvat, who was feted with a video tribute during the first TV timeout that brought tears to the eyes of the club’s former captain and 10th all-time leading point-getter.

Motivational?

Maybe.

Horvat went out and scored a second-period goal to restore a two-goal cushion for the visitors, but it was all the offensively starved Isles could muster on this night.

Meanwhile, the opposite is true on the west coast, with three Canucks - Miller (who's on a five-game heater), Hughes and Elias Pettersson - cozying up at the top in the league's point race with 26 each.

Thanks to them, the Canucks have now won seven of their last eight games.

Injury update: Earlier on Wednesday, it was announced that veteran defenceman Carson Soucy would be out 6-8 weeks with a lower-body injury. The 29-year-old left this past Sunday’s game in Montreal after taking a shot off the left ankle. Twenty-seven-year-old Mark Friedman drew into the lineup as a result, as the Canucks went with four righties on the blueline. Calgary native Akito Hirose was a healthy scratch.

3. Stat Pack

Makin’ History:

Tonight’s contest will be the 300th regular-season meeting between the Flames and Canucks, with the Flames holding an all-time record of 150-97-33-19.Al MacInnis is the Flames’ all-time leading scorer against the Canucks with 83 points (27G, 56A), while Joe Nieuwendyk (35-38 – 73) and Jarome Iginla (28-45 – 73) are both tied for second. Mikael Backlund is the Flames’ current leader in points against the Canucks with 36 points (14G, 22A) in 59 career meetings.

Blasty’s Back:

The Flames will wear their black alternate uniform – nicknamed ‘Blasty’ – tonight for the first time this season. This will be Blasty’s second-straight season as the Flames alternate jersey and will be worn a total of 13 times in 2023-24. Last year, the Flames debuted the-all black look on Nov. 29 in a 6-2 victory over the Florida Panthers, with Dillon Dube posting a three-point night (1G, 2A).

4. Quotable

Ryan Huska on how Nazem Kadri has taken on a leadership role with the young players:

“I get a front-row seat on the bench and often times when they do come back after shifts, there is communication between them. Whether it's, 'Hey, look for me here,' or, 'This is where I'm going to be the next time we find ourselves in that position,' or a play didn't work and he's like, 'Don't worry about it. Next one we'll make sure it works.'

“I think he's just done a really good job of challenging them, pushing them and at the same time, being very supportive of what they're trying to do. I'm really pleased with the way Naz has been able to do that. He's taken not just one guy now, but last game we put Posp out there with him as well, so he's got two young guys – and I thought that was our best line and that's a credit to Naz.”

5. Players to Watch

Flames - Martin Pospisil

With Connor Zary (deservedly) getting a ton of love right now, it’s high time we put the spotlight on the Flames’ other red-hot rookie. Pospisil had another assist against the Habs and now has four points (2G, 2A) in five games, putting him fourth behind Connor Bedard, Zary and Leo Carlsson in rookie points-per-game (minimum three games played).

“I’m trying to enjoy every moment on the ice, and I’m trying to help the team,” Pospisil told CalgaryFlames.com colleague Chris Wahl. “That was a long time that I was waiting for this kind of moment, to play in the NHL.”

Click here to read more on Pospisil's hot start.

Canucks - Brock Boeser

It isn’t easy to look off the league’s leading scorers - of which, the Canucks have three.

But everyone loves a comeback story.

At this time a year ago, there was nary a trade rumour that didn’t involve this talented, right-shot sniper. But after putting up only 18 tucks all of last season, Boeser has been on a tear, scoring 13 in his first 16 games this year to sit in a tie with Kyle Connor and Auston Matthews for the NHL’s goal-scoring lead.