5 Things - Flames vs. Kings

1. Chase The Crown

After three impressive wins last week, the Flames start a three-game homestand against one of the teams they’re trying to catch in the Western Conference wild-card race.

The Kings pay their first visit to the Scotiabank Saddledome this season, with Calgary eyeing up a fourth straight victory to close out the month of February. Get tickets.

The locals sit seven points behind tonight’s guests in the Pacific Division standings, with LA occupying the first wild-card berth in the conference following a 4-2 defeat last night in Edmonton.

There were no passengers in the Flames’ 6-3 win Saturday night in Edmonton. In fact, quite the contrary, with big moments generated from up and down the lineup.

Noah Hanifin and Blake Coleman set new career highs in goals, while Nazem Kadri set the tone with an early marker and - like Coleman - was a thorn in the Oilers’ collective side.

The two forwards - Coleman and Kadri - helped lead the charge in Edmonton, but when asked about their respective abilities to rally the troops Monday, Head Coach Ryan Huska pointed out some subtleties in Coleman and Kadri’s styles.

“(Coleman’s) more of a lead by example, like I see Naz as a guy that’s pulling them on by helping the two guys with him,” Huska said. “I think Coles does it the way I think he knows how, and that’s playing the right way, and I think with him it’s a hope that ‘guys will see what I do on a daily basis,’ and they’re going to follow suit.”

Tonight against the Kings, the Flames have a chance to build upon arguably their best three-game stretch of the season.

Last week’s wins came against a trio of clubs that have combined for 104 wins to this point in the campaign.

But for Huska, it wasn’t so much that his club was successful, it was how his side found a way to assert themselves.

“It was good, for sure,” he said. “A couple of those games, we had great starts: Edmonton, against Boston, we really came out of the gates the right way and I think we put our opponent on their heels, and that’s something that’s important for us.

“Even when we were pushed in those games, we didn’t fold, and we pushed right back, and that’s something for me that we’re probably most proud of in those situations and we’d like to see that mentality continue.”

2. Know Your Enemy

The Kings arrive in Calgary after dropping a 4-2 decision in Edmonton last night in the first of a three-game, Western Canadian swing.

The Oilers broke a 2-2 tie with a pair of third-period goals, handing LA its second loss in the past three games.

But under interim head coach Jim Hiller, the Kings have rediscovered their form, holding a 6-3-0 record since Hiller was appointed Feb. 2 in the wake of Todd McLellan’s dismissal.

Trevor Moore counted his team-leading 22nd goal of the season Monday, while Alex Laferriere also scored for the Kings.

It’s been that kind of balance that has helped Los Angeles to some success this season; the team boasts eight players with 10 or more goals on the campaign including leading point-getter Adrian Kempe, whose 51 points this season include 19 tallies. (Of note, Kempe left the game in the late stages last night after falling awkardly and landing hard on his left wrist. He returned to the bench was seen icing the area with a member of the team's medical staff before being ushered off to the dressing room.)

Flames fans will be familiar with the Kings’ goaltending duo, too. David Rittich was tagged with the loss in Edmonton Monday, while Cam Talbot recently represented the club at the NHL All-Star Game.

Los Angeles has been pretty good away from home, too - last night’s setback notwithstanding.

The Kings’ eight regulation losses away from the City of Angels are tied for the fewest among Western Conference teams.

3. Fast Facts

2023-24 Season Series:

Tonight marks the second of four meetings this season between Calgary and Los Angeles, and the Kings hold the upper hand in the season series after a 5-3 home-ice victory in the series opener Dec. 23.

Trevor Moore’s goal midway through the middle frame stood up as the winner for LA, while Quinton Byfield factored in with a pair of goals for the hosts.

Blake Coleman had two of the three Flames goals, with Rasmus Andersson also tickling the twine in the setback.

After tonight’s game, the two sides will meet again at the ‘Dome Mar. 30 before closing the season set Apr. 11 in Los Angeles.

Did You Know?

Martin Pospisil comes into tonight’s game having scored in back-to-back contests - the first such instance in his young NHL career.

He’s also been physical: Pospisil’s 46 hits in February rank third among NHL skaters.

4. Mr. 400

Tonight’s contest marks a milestone for Andrew Mangiapane.

The Flames forward is set to skate in his 400th NHL contest and in doing so, is set to become the only sixth-round selection from is 2015 NHL Draft class to achieve the feat.

Mangiapane’s NHL debut came on New Year’s Eve of 2017 against the Chicago Blackhawks, and over the past six-plus years, he’s amassed 106 goals and 207 points for Calgary.

Of Mangiapane’s prior 399 games, 14 have come against Los Angeles; he put up an assist in his last game against the Kings back in December.

Mangiapane is set to become the second Flames skater to reach 400 career NHL games this season.

MacKenzie Weegar skated in his 400th game Nov. 10 in Toronto, while Rasmus Andersson accomplished the feat Dec. 9 against New Jersey.

5. Players to Watch

Flames - Blake Coleman

The Texas Tiger set a new personal best with his 23rd goal of the season Saturday in Edmonton, adding 17 minutes in penalties during the 6-3 win.

He’s had success against the Kings this season, too, scoring twice in the first meeting of the season in SoCal on Dec. 23.

Routinely matched up against the opponent’s top lines, Coleman is likely to draw an assignment defending Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe tonight.

And as the likes of Coleman and fellow Stanley Cup champion Nazem Kadri go, so do the Flames; Calgary is 7-0-1 this season when both Coleman and Kadri score in the same game, which they did most recently this past Saturday night.

Kings - Quinton Byfield

He’s almost doubled his point total from last season, and it certainly seems the Kings forward is just getting started.

The second-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Byfield collected an assist in last night’s loss in Edmonton, but sits fourth in team scoring with 43 points (18G, 25A).

Byfield is an imposing presence on the ice despite still being nearly six months shy of his 22nd birthday - he stands 6’5” and checks in at 225 lbs.