5 Things - Flames vs. Kings

1. Last Time Out

If you’re the glass half-full type, earning four of a possible six points on a three-game road trip would have to be seen as a positive.

Then again …

Jetting home on Saturday following a second-straight extra-time defeat would leave a sour taste, no matter how many were gained.

“It’s been our starts, right? It’s that consistency … preparation, focus,” MacKenzie Weegar said following a 3-2 shootout setback to the Buffalo Sabres.

For the third time in as many games, the Flames rallied from a late deficit to pull even and force overtime. In Montreal, the perseverance paid off, as Matt Coronato’s late snipe, followed his franchise record-setting OT decider, gave the visitors the full two points they were after.

But in Boston, then Buffalo, the magic ran out at the end of regulation time.

“We know that we’ve got to be better going home now,” said captain Mikael Backlund, who went top shelf to even the score with 4:18 left in the third. “We know the first period’s going to be a big key for us. It’s great that we (came) back and showed character, resilience, staying in every game, fighting back and get points. But if you want to win games, we’ve got to start to have better first periods.”

Indeed, the opening 20 has certainly been a sore spot for Backlund’s outfit, whose eight goals in that vexing frame place them 27th in first-period scoring.

The ability claw back and get better as the game goes along is an excellent quality to have.

But long-term, playing from behind will bite them – as it did in each of their last two.

Dan Vladar got the nod between the pipes, finishing regulation and OT with 17 saves before being victimized by JJ Peterka in the skills contest.

"I thought this one was a sleepy start, both ways,” assessed Head Coach Ryan Huska. “They capitalized on their two chances in the first period (and) we weren’t able to. We started to build our game after that again. We just have to get over that hump and make that part of the game that is causing us some problems, we’ve got to push it aside and start the game better than what we have."

The Flames will host the Kings tonight in a rare 6:30 p.m. puck drop, before heading back out on the road for a one-off on Tuesday in Vancouver, before they can finally unpack and settle in for a four-home homestand that begins on Friday against the Nashville Predators.

2. Prime Monday Night Hockey

Tonight is the Flames’ first-ever appearance on Prime Monday Night Hockey! If you're an Amazon Prime member, you already have full access to all of Prime Video's offerings, including Prime Monday Night Hockey. If not, you can easily sign-up for a 30-day free trial and begin watching immediately.

Follow these steps to watch tonight's game:

1. Log on from your TV, smartphone device or computer.

2. Open the Prime Video app or visit primevideo.com

3. Sign in with your existing Amazon Prime account or sign up for an account at amazon.com/prime

4. Find Prime Monday Night Hockey from the Homepage / Sports page >> search for or check for "Live & Upcoming Events."

5. Tap on the game of choice, i.e. "Calgary vs. Los Angeles."

3. Know Your Enemy

The Kings are positively rolling right now, sitting first in the Pacific after winning three of their last four, while outscoring their opponents 15-7 in the process.

On Saturday, they took down the Blue Jackets 5-2, thanks to three-point efforts from Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe, and 24 saves from former Flames puck-stopper David Rittich.

Newcomer Warren Foegele had a goal and an assist, while last year’s 31-goal man Trevor Moore struck short-handed to round out the scoring.

The win moves the Kings’ record to 4-1-1 on home ice, as they now head out on a quick, two-game voyage, beginning here in Calgary and wrapping up on Wednesday in Colorado.

“First period, we all thought was so-so, but liked it a lot better in the second, so everyone is happy to come away with two points,” defenceman Mikey Anderson told NHL.com.

“I thought the second was a little more direct. We played a little more below their goal line, got a few o-zone shifts. I think it was a little cleaner from us, maybe a little simpler, but that’s the recipe sometimes.”

The Kings – much like the Flames – have developed a reputation of being slow starters …

But the strongest of finishers.

A league-leading 27 of their 54 goals (50%) this year have come in the third period. For the Flames, 22 of 42 (53%) have been scored in the final frame.

Both teams currently sit in the bottom third when it comes to first-period tallies, which begs the question:

Who will blink first tonight?

4. Fast Facts

An Apple A Day

With his assist on Saturday, Jonathan Huberdeau is now only one away from 500 in his career. Huberdeau is looking to join Nikita Kucherov and Johnny Gaudreau as the third skater from the 2011 NHL Draft to crest 500 NHL assists and become the 25th active skater in the NHL to reach the milestone.

Home Away From Home

With his goal in Buffalo, Mikael Backlund scored his 102nd career road goal, tying Lanny McDonald for the fifth-most road goals in Flames franchise history. The only players to score more: Jarome Iginla (257), Theoren Fleury (159), Joe Nieuwendyk (133) and Gary Roberts (109).

Family Ties

Kings forward Samuel Helenius’s father Sami Helenius was part of the Flames organization for five seasons from 1994-95 until 1998-99. Sami played in 272 games for Calgary's AHL affiliate, the Saint John Flames, and skated in his first seven NHL games in a Flames sweater.

Stick tap to Flames PR guru Jordan Bay for compiling these nuggets.

5. Players To Watch

Flames - Matt Coronato

‘The Bison’ is feasting these days.

Since being recalled from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers on Halloween, Coronato has three goals and four points, including his heroic, two-goal spree that spurred the Flames to victory last week in Montreal.

The 21-year-old has pulled into a three-way tie for first in the team scoring lead with Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau.

On Sunday in Buffalo, Coronato spent the bulk of his 5-on-5 time with Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman, but also took a regular turn with Coleman and Justin Kirkland after the Flames shortened their bench in the third period.

The New York native finished the day with a team-leading three shots on four attempts, along with three scoring chances in his 13:22 at evens.

The Flames’ first-round pick – 13th overall – back in 2021 has certainly found a new gear.

Kings - Anze Kopitar

There are some legitimate Jagr vibes here with how Kopitar is managing to defy Father Time.

At 37 years old, the Slovenian Superstar is off to another scorching start in Hollywood, pacing the Kings with 17 points (5G, 12A) in 16 games.

Sophomore winger Alex Laferriere is not far behind with 15 points – and, in fact, leads the Kings in goal-scoring with nine on the year, only three off his entire total from last season – but Kopitar doesn’t have many more visits left in the old barn.

For a Kings team loaded with offensive weapons, Kopitar looks as silky as ever.

While at the same time, continuing his craft as one of the best defensive forwards of his era.