CF_5_Things_Title_LunarFBTW

1. All For One

When this Flames team is firing on all cylinders, they're connected.

Working together towards a common goal.

It's a term we've heard coming from players, and head coach Ryan Huska alike over the past season and a half and tonight, as Calgary hits the 50-game mark of the 2024-25 campaign, they'll need that connectivity more than ever as they continue a homestand amid Lunar New Year celebrations against the Anaheim Ducks. GET TICKETS

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      Brendan Parker sets up tonight's tilt against the Ducks

      Defenceman Kevin Bahl has been a revelation this season, since arriving via trade from New Jersey, but the Flames will be without his services for a third straight game - and on a week-to-week basis moving forward - after the hulking blueliner suffered an upper-body injury Saturday at Minnesota.

      That leaves everyone else to pick up the slack.

      And while Huska would love to have his full complement of players (just imagine what a healthy Connor Zary, Anthony Mantha and Justin Kirkland would bring to the forward group), he's confident that each guy in that dressing room will do what they can - for each other.

      "We have such a good room," Huska said Wednesday. "Guys are very competitive, and they play for each other. And I think the tell for me, every time there’s a scrum on the ice, there’s typically five guys in there.

      "You see that with teams that are connected. Having people with attitudes like that goes a long way."

      And despite Tuesday's loss to Washington, there's no reason for this team not to have belief.

      They skated with the first-place Capitals, perhaps even out-played their opponent at even strength.

      And while the goals didn't come two nights ago, there's belief that they will.

      Huska pointed to Andrei Kuzmenko Wednesday as one player who could be a real difference-maker in the offensive end of the rink.

      The Russian forward scored twice in that win Saturday against the Wild, and comes into tonight's game with five points in his last five outings.

      "Andrei’s - it’s hard to really get it from him - but he is a thinker, and he wants to do so well, and he wants to be a difference maker for your team," Huska explained. "When he has a few games like he has had recently, you notice that his feet start moving more, he’s handling the puck more, he looks faster on the ice, he’s starting to get his shot away more.

      "That is confidence."

      Kuzmenko, meanwhile, is focused on the bigger picture.

      A sprint to the post-season - thought by some at the start of the year to be impossible - but now is coming more into view.

      "We have six games before the break, it’s a very important moment for us because we have a lot of home games," he said Wednesday. "We need to win, because now we have a good race to the playoffs."

      Starting that six-game spell with a win Thursday?

      Well that'd be just Duck-y.

      Lunar New Year Celebration

      Ring in the Year of the Snake with the Calgary Flames! Tonight's Lunar New Year Celebration will feature a vibrant pregame ceremony, dazzling cultural performances, and unique giveaways and memorabilia. Let's make it a night to remember!

      2. Know Your Enemy

      The Ducks arrived in Calgary early Wednesday morning having just secured their third straight win, knocking off the Seattle Kraken 6-4 Tuesday in the Pacific Northwest.

      Anaheim got goals from six different skaters, and the Ducks have outscored their opponents 16-7 over the course of this mini run, one which saw the club score five times in three consecutive games for the first time since 2015-16.

      Forward Troy Terry - who missed the first meeting between these two clubs three weeks ago - leads the team with 16 goals and 39 points, while 24-year-old defenceman Jackson LaCombe is enjoying a breakout year on the blueline, having already set a career best in points (23), while improving his plus/minus by 20 points over last season.

      There's lots to be excited about, though.

      Mason McTavish (see more below) is one of many young Ducks finding their stride in the NHL, a list that includes former second-overall pick Leo Carlsson and two-time WHL Defenceman of the Year Olen Zellweger.

      Lukas Dostal is a win away from matching a career-best of 14 victories - a feat he achieved last season - and he still has five full months left before turning 25 years of age.

      It's a new era in Orange County, and we're not just talking about the snazzy new uniforms.

      These Ducks are poised to take flight.

      2024-25 Stats

      Powerplay
      Rate
      Rank
      Flames
      21.2%
      17th
      Ducks
      13.2%
      31st
      Penalty Kill
      Flames
      71.3%
      29th
      Ducks
      73.9%
      27th
      Shot Attempts (via NaturalStatTrick)
      Flames
      51.56%
      10th
      Ducks
      45.53%
      30th
      High-Danger Scoring Chances (via NaturalStatTrick)
      Flames
      48.83%
      21st
      Ducks
      43.11%
      30th


      3. Fast Facts

      2024-25 Season Series

      Tonight marks the second of four meetings between the Flames and Ducks this season, with Calgary holding the edge in the season set by virtue of a 3-2 overtime win in Anaheim Jan. 7.

      Jonathan Huberdeau played extra-time hero in front of the Flames moms at Honda Center, while MacKenzie Weegar and Nazem Kadri found the back of the net in regulation time.

      Dustin Wolf earned the victory in goal, making 27 saves.

      After tonight's game, the two sides will have to wait until April for their next encounter.

      The Ducks visit the Scotiabank Saddledome again Apr. 3, while the Flames pay a return visit to Orange County six days later.

      The Kuzmenk-Show

      Some players just have the knack against a particular opponent.

      Andrei Kuzmenko LOVES playing against the Anaheim Ducks.

      In eight career games against Anaheim, Kuzmenko has scored 10 times; five with the Flames, and five with the Vancouver Canucks.

      He scored twice in the Ducks' last visit to the Scotiabank Saddledome on April 2 of last year.

      And both of his career hat-tricks have come against Anaheim.

      He lit the lamp three times in a Calgary win at Honda Center last April, and had a four-point night (3G, 1A) with the Canucks back on Nov. 3, 2022.

      4. Depth Of Field

      As the Flames close out the month of January, they have found success by committee in the offensive zone.

      In fact, their long list of goal-scorers ranks highly among the league's ledger, with two days left in the calendar month.

      A total of 16 different skaters have lit the lamp for Calgary this month, a feat surpassed by only three NHL clubs.

      The New York Rangers lead the way with 18 January goal-getters, while Chicago and San Jose have 17 apiece.

      The Flames have also had a different skater lead the team in monthly scoring during each month of the 2024-25 regular season.

      Blake Coleman is top of the crop for Calgary in January, with 10 points (3G, 7A) since the calendar flipped to 2025.

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          "We have to play to our identity"

          5. Players to Watch

          Flames - Matt Coronato

          The 22-year-old continues to be all around the puck, with 11 shots on goal over his last three games.

          Coronato had an assist in the first meeting between Calgary and Anaheim Jan. 7 - he drove wide down the right wing and sent a hard pass to the net that bounced, and bounced again before Jonathan Huberdeau was able to get stick to puck, and tap in the winner.

          He's a big fan of home ice, too.

          Seven or Coronato's 11 goals this season have come at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

          Ducks - Mason McTavish

          It doesn't seem like so long ago that McTavish was making goal-line saves at the World Juniors.

          But all of a sudden, the young centreman is in his third full NHL season, and he is red-hot.

          McTavish - the NHL's Second Star of the week - comes into tonight's contest with six goals in his last four games, a stretch that includes multi-goal efforts on home ice against Pittsburgh and Nashville.

          He scored in the season series opener against the Flames back on Jan. 7, too.