5 Things - Flames vs. Panthers

1. Last Time Out

Saturdays always have a buzz.

But when the home team comes in waves like that – skating, scoring and relentlessly forechecking – the foundation of the old barn nearly shook off the supports.

Best of all?

They got the payoff, too.

A.J. Greer, MacKenzie Weegar and the red-hot Yegor Sharangovich all scored in a four-and-a-half-minute span early in the second period as the Flames took a 3-0 stranglehold and held off the Lightning for a 4-2 win on Saturday at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

“I liked our first two periods, the second period I think was maybe our best period of the year,” said Head Coach Ryan Huska. “I thought we controlled the play, we were smart with the puck and we had a lot of zone time in that period. It was a good night for us."

With Jacob Markstrom “close” but not yet ready to return from a fractured finger, Dan Vladar got the start for the second straight game and was absolutely sensational, stopping 31 shots to give him a .938+ save percentage in back-to-back outings.

(Markstrom, by the way, has now been activated off injured reserve – and as a result, the Flames have returned goalie-of-the-future Dustin Wolf, along with the up-and-coming Ilya Solovyov to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers.)

This was the ‘complete effort’ the Flames have been talking about. It was pedal-down from the get-go and with – as Huska described it – their best second period of the season helping establish a commanding lead on the scoreboard, there were no ‘self-inflicted’ wounds on this night.

Only battle scars.

Oh, they were tested in the third when a pair of 40-goal men in Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos rose like the Undertaker and gave the visitors life, but a crucial goal by Connor Zary quelled the comeback bid and allowed the Flames to nurse this one home.

“It was a tough road trip and coming back home, being in front of our fans, we made sure that we looked forward, putting everything aside that was negative and started fresh,” said Greer, who tied a career high with his fifth goal of the season. That's exactly what we needed.

“We had a great effort against a hell of a hockey team and I think everyone pulled on the rope. Our defencemen were amazing, moving the puck up and giving our forwards time and space going up the zone, and of course (Vladar) played an excellent game. Everyone really contributed to this win and it's a great to be in front of our fans.

“Everyone was on the same page tonight and you saw how the Calgary Flames can play.”

2. Know Your Enemy

The Panthers are coming off a 5-1 win over the Oilers on Saturday after losing their previous two by identical 4-0 counts.

Carter Verhaeghe (2G, 1A) and former Flame Sam Bennett (1G, 2A) helped open the floodgates with a pair of three-point efforts, Sergei Bobrovsky made a season-high 38 saves for the Cats, who improve to 18-10-2 and hold sway with the Maple Leafs – who were also victorious on Saturday – for second place in the Atlantic Division.

Verhaeghe, Montour and Aleksander Barkov all scored in the opening frame to give the Panthers a commanding 3-0 lead, before the teams traded goals in the middle stanza. Verhaeghe then rounded out the offence with his 15th of the year – two behind team leader Sam Reinhart – a scant 21 seconds into the third to put the game on ice.

“It’s how fast (Verhaeghe) gets it off his stick,” Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice marvelled in his postgame scrum. “The play looked like it was dead. The fifth goal, right? It’s over. But then, he’s gifted.”

Verhaeghe, who put a career high 42 tucks a year ago, is on pace for a similar number again this season.

On Saturday, he skated on the second line with Sam Bennett in the middle and and former Flame Matthew Tkachuk on the opposite flank. Together, they’ve given the Panthers good results this year, with a 59.38% possession rate, while controlling 65.03% of the scoring chances and 57.14% of the high-danger looks (40-30) at 5-on-5.

“It was nice to get the win,” Verhaeghe told Jameson Olive of FloridaPanthers.com. “We believe in ourselves. It sucks when you get shut out, but we came back with a nice win.

“Sometimes you play a good game and you don’t get rewarded and sometimes you do. That’s the game of hockey. It’s always a better feeling when you get rewarded.”

3. Players to Watch

“I thought that was done and over with last year,” Huska said of the fallout from Tkachuk/Weegar/Jonathan Huberdeau trade. “The only thing that I would look forward to that game is our crowd. They get excited about it, for sure, so there's going to be a different energy in the building.”

Indeed, there will.

And the following two players are guaranteed to play a big role in this Monday night affair.

Flames - MacKenzie Weegar

Only one defenceman has more goals this year than the affable ex-Panther and his eight blueline blasts.

(Spoiler alert – it’s Quinn Hughes.)

But with his lamp-lighter on Saturday, the 29-year-old has now tied his career-high output – with another 51 games left to build on it.

“I think a lot of it has to do with the way he’s feeling about his game right now,” Huska said. “But he moves a lot on the blueline when he’s shooting, so he’s changing his shot lane, or his shot angles a little bit, and he’s making that forward or winger that’s trying to get into that lane, his job a little more difficult. So, he’s making good decisions as to when to shoot it really quickly, or when he should be walking the line. He’s had that shot mentality all year, and it’s nice that it’s paying off for him."

Panthers - Matthew Tkachuk

Obvious, no?

Tkachuk is off to a surprisingly slow start after putting up a career high 109 points (40G, 69A) with the Stanley Cup finalists a year ago.

His five goals rank seventh and his powerplay production – a staple of his during his time in a Calgary sweater – has been virtually non-existent.

A lot of it, though, can be chalked up to luck.

The 26-year-old has excellent underlying metrics but his 4.6% shooting percentage is well – well – off his 12.6% career average.

According to MoneyPuck.com, Tkachuk has an expected goals rate of 13.2 in all situations, which would put him in the top 3% of all skaters in the NHL this year.

But for whatever reason, it just hasn't materialized.

4. Fast Facts

Zary Good

Connor Zary netted his seventh goal of the season on Saturday night against Tampa Bay. Since Dec. 1, Zary has four goals which is tied with Adam Fantilli (8 GP) and Marco Rossi (7 GP) for the most among rookies through the month of December. Moreover, Zary’s 0.76 points-per game are the second-most among rookies this season who have played at least three games.

Santa-govich Comes To Town:

This could be the best present of all. 

With another strike on Saturday, the Flames leading goal-scorer, Yegor Sharangovich, is now on a career-best five-game spree – with a half-dozen tallies to his name in that span. In doing so, the winger has now matched Kent Nilsson (5 GP in 1980-81) and Joe Mullen (5 GP in 1985-86) for the longest goal streak by a player in their first season with Calgary. The only active players to record a longer run in their first season with a franchise are Alex Ovechkin (7 GP & 6 GP in 2005-06 w/ WSH), Matthew Tkachuk (6 GP in 2022-23 w/ FLA) and Evgeni Malkin (6 GP in 2006-07 w/ PIT).

5. Did You Know?

Mikael Backlund is now 10 games away from tying Mark Giordano for the second-most games played in Flames franchise history at 949.

Jonathan Huberdeau has the second-most games played in Panthers franchise history with 671. In that time, he has the second-most points (613), leads the Panthers in assists (415) and has the second most goals in franchise history (198).