5 Things - Flames vs. Rangers

1. ‘Dome Sweet ‘Dome

The friendly confines of the Scotiabank Saddledome await the Flames tonight as they kick off a two-game homestand versus the New York Rangers. Get tickets

The team arrived home from Detroit late Sunday, and more than half the roster hit the ice Monday afternoon in preparation for two games this week that could help swing some momentum in Calgary’s favour ahead of the Heritage Classic in five days’ time.

Tonight, the focus lies on the New York Rangers - a sixth straight Eastern Conference foe, but one against whom the Flames have enjoyed recent success, particularly at home. Calgary has won the last four meetings in Wild Rose Country.

To a man, the Flames know they need to play more like the team that earned two points in Buffalo and a point in Washington last week.

One way to do that, according to Head Coach Ryan Huska, is to better manage possession of the puck.

“If you look at one thing that’s caused a lot of issues in regard to our chances against, a lot of them are coming off our mistakes with the puck,” Huska said. "We’re giving opponents too many good opportunities based on what we’re doing with the puck.”

The Flames sit near the top of the league in offensive zone time at even strength (NHL Edge has Calgary in the 93rd percentile in that statistic), so it stands to reason that fixing mistakes with the puck could not only cut down on defensive issues, but increase offensive opportunities at the other end of the ice.

And that’s not to say that offensive chances have been fleeting, either. The Flames were also in the 96th percentile in terms of shots on goal per NHL Edge, as of Monday evening.

“When you look at it number-wise, we’re in the top third in the league from the analytics that we have,” Huska said.

Calgary’s fourth line will again be looked upon as a source of energy. The combo of Yegor Sharangovich, A.J. Greer,and Walker Duehr come into tonight’s game having found the back of the net in two of the past three contests.

Sharangovich counted his first goal as a Flame Sunday and according to Huska, is starting to find his stride after an off-season move from New Jersey.

“I feel like he’s been getting more and more comfortable, or confident,” Huska noted. “You’re starting to see him carry the puck a little bit more, he’s skating, and we’re starting to see him shoot the puck.

“When he’s able to get two to three shots a game, he’s around the puck, he’s going to have an impact and that’s what he’s done the last few games.”

2. Know Your Enemy

The Rangers are touring Western Canada this week, with tonight’s contest marking game two of a five-game swing that began Saturday night with a 4-1 win in Seattle.

Artemi Panarin scored twice in that contest, while Jonathan Quick earned his first victory in Rangers silks with an 18-save performance.

New York has started the season with a 3-2-0 record under new head coach Peter Laviolette, who joined the club this summer after spending the previous three seasons in Washington.

And one player he’s grown to appreciate as one of his own, compared to one he has to gameplan against, is Russian forward Artemi Panarin, who leads the team with seven points (3G, 4A).

“He’s put up a lot of points the last seven years, ranking upward in the NHL, in the upper echelon with regard to points,” Laviolette told reporters following Rangers practice Monday in Seattle.

“I think you really can appreciate what a player does when you coach them on a day in and day out basis.

“You see them in practice, you see them in games, you count on them to help the team be successful.”

Former 52-goal man Chris Kreider is the top Ranger in terms of goals to begin the season; he’s lit the lamp four times in five games but was held off the scoresheet against the Kraken.

Igor Shesterkin has earned the bulk of the playing time in goal, collecting a 2-2-0 record through four appearances.

3. Fast Facts

2022-23 Season Series:

Both of last season’s fixtures between the Flames and Rangers required extra time, with the home side coming out on top on both occasions.

The Rangers scored a 5-4 overtime victory at Madison Square Garden Feb. 6. The Flames then returned the favour 12 days later, winning 3-2 in overtime at the ‘Dome. Andrew Mangiapane, Nazem Kadri and Mikael Backlund scored for Calgary, while Jacob Markstrom turned aside 18 shots to secure the win.

Did You Know?

Blake Coleman enters tonight’s game with 199 career NHL points. The product of Plano, Texas is just one goal or assist away from becoming just the third Texas-born skater - and first forward - to record 200 or more points in the NHL.

That list is currently populated by defencemen Brian Leetch (1,028) and Seth Jones (377).

4. Roster Notes

Here’s how the Flames lined up Sunday afternoon versus the Red Wings:

Forwards

Adam Ruzicka - Elias Lindholm - Matt Coronato
Jonathan Huberdeau - Nazem Kadri - Dillon Dube
Blake Coleman - Mikael Backlund - Andrew Mangiapane
A.J. Greer - Yegor Sharangovich - Walker Duehr

Defence

Noah Hanifin - Chris Tanev
Nikita Zadorov - Mackenzie Weegar
Dennis Gilbert - Jordan Oesterle

Goaltenders

Dan Vladar
Jacob Markstrom

5. Players to Watch

Flames - Andrew Mangiapane

He leads the team with three goals to this point of the season, and enters tonight’s game two tallies shy of 100 for his NHL career.

Mangiapane sits second among Calgary’s scoring leaders with five points, trailing only Elias Lindholm.

Tonight marks the seventh career appearance for Mangiapane versus the Rangers, against whom he has also averaged a point per game during his career.

Rangers - Artemi Panarin

The 32-year-old sniper has recorded at least a point in each of New York’s five games to begin the season, scoring twice this past Saturday night in Seattle.

He’s surpassed the 90-point mark in three of his four seasons with the Rangers.

Last year, he had three assists in the two-game season series with the Flames.