5 Things - Flames vs. Red Wings

1. Big Win + Big Trade = Wow!

It wasn't exactly your typical game night at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Thursday.

And tonight won't be either, with two new players expected to make their Calgary debuts when Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee don the Flaming C for the first time.

The two players spoke to Flames.com Friday. CLICK HERE TO READ THE STORY

So let's run you back on how everything went down.

When the puck dropped against the Anaheim Ducks, Andrei Kuzmenko was a late scratch and the rumour mill started churning on social media about a potential trade.

Jakob Pelletier started the tilt but didn't return to the ice after the first period.

At that point, the rumour mill was billowing smoke.

On the ice, the Flames gave up the first goal to the Ducks in the opening frame but then Adam Klapka scored a beauty in the second and Matt Coronato would add another 44 seconds before the period ended. Or did he? More on that as we go.

Coronato would score again with less than five minutes to go in the game and added an empty-netter to salt away a 4-1 win. It was his first hat-trick, a natural one, to boot.

But long after the fans had filed out of the 'Dome, the NHL updated the game scoring, deciding Blake Coleman deflected Coronato's first tally.

Then the biggest news of the night came when the team announced they had dealt Kuzmenko, Pelletier and two picks (a second in 2025 and a seventh in 2028) to the Flyers for centre Frost and left-winger Farabee.

As for what numbers the guys will be wearing, CLICK HERE TO SEE

General Manager Craig Conroy spoke to the media late Thursday about the deal and why he made it.

“I definitely wanted to give the team something,” he explained. “They deserved it, and they’ve earned it. To give ‘em a boost, a shot in the arm - whatever it is - we felt like these players could do that.

“They’re at the right age. They’re 24 and 25-year-old guys that we can grow with, and that’s always been the plan. For right now, we really want to find guys that we can grow with (for) the long-term.”

CLICK HERE FOR TONIGHT'S PROJECTED LINEUP

2. Know Your Enemy

Any night your goalie makes 45 saves - yes, 45 - there's a good chance you'll get the W.

That said, it didn't come easy for the Red Wings.

Alex Lyon was a beast between the pipes for Detroit, as they came back to beat the Oilers 3-2 in a shootout up the QEII Thursday night.

Leon Draisaitl and Jeff Skinner staked the homeside to a 2-zip lead after the first period, but Michael Rasmussen and Dylan Larkin would tally in the middle stanza en route to OT and the 1-on-1 skills battle.

Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins were denied by Lyon in the shootout, while Larkin and Lucas Raymond would beat Stuart Skinner for the victory.

Raymond was coming off a one goal, four-point affair in Detroit's previous outing, a 5-2 home win over the Kings on Monday.

“I thought Alex was obviously key to the victory,” Detroit head coach Todd McLellan told DetroitRedWings.com's Jonathan Mills. “He faced a lot of shots, not all dangerous, but there were some succession-type shots that he had to be alert and get us some whistles when we broke down. That’s why the goalie wears the same color jersey as everybody else - he’s there to provide us that security, and he did that.”

McLellan pointed to Rasmussen's goal as a turning point in the tilt for his club, resetting and refocusing them on playing the type of game that they need to find success.

“Prior to that goal, we weren’t direct at all,” McLellan explained. “We weren’t attacking the net. We were getting over the blue line and trying to play east-west. I just don’t think that’s who we are. When we’re direct to the net and then play off whatever occurs in that situation, then we’re way better off. That was exactly it.”

“They’re a pretty fast team and I think we gave them too many opportunities to play fast and spring each other on odd-man rushes and a couple breakaways, and they capitalized on one,” Nugent-Hopkins told NHL.com. “So, I thought overall we played an all right game. Just a bit of a stretch there where we gave them too many easier opportunities.”

Detroit has now won four straight and are 6-3-1 in their last 10 outings. They are 10-10-3 on the road this campaign.

3. Fast Facts

Hey, Did You Know?

• Matt Coronato recorded the third multi-goal performance of his career (also Oct. 15, 2024 & Nov. 5, 2024) in Thursday’s 4-1 win over the Ducks.
• Yegor Sharangovich scored his first goal as a member of the Flames against Detroit on Oct. 22, 2023.
• Morgan Frost is looking to become the 25th player to wear No. 16 in Flames franchise history. Joel Farabee ccarries over his No. 86 with the Flames, while Rory Kerins will now wear No. 6 with the Calgary Flames to match his number 6 with the Calgary Wranglers.

Rooney's Mr. 300

Kevin Rooney skated in his 300th NHL game on Thursday’s 4-1 win over Anaheim. The Canton, Mass, native made his NHL debut on March 2, 2017 against the Washington Capitals as a member of the New Jersey Devils. Rooney joined the Flames organization in July of 2023, and has skated in 90 contests in Flames colours, with nine points from six goals and three helpers.

4. The New Guys

Joel Farabee, a 24-year-old left winger, was a first round draft pick (14th overall) by Philadelphia in the 2018 NHL Draft. The following season he earned Hockey East and NCAA Rookie of the Year awards as he led Boston University with 36 points in 37 games as a freshman. After starting his NHL career in 2019-20, Joel has scored 90 goals along with 111 assists for 201 points and 219 penalty minutes in 383 games along with two 20+ goal seasons. This year he has netted eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points in 49 games.

Morgan Frost, a 25-year-old centreman, was also a first round pick (27th overall) by Philadelphia in the 2017 NHL Draft. He was an OHL First Team All-Star in both 2018 and 2019 as a member of the Soo Greyhounds before starting his NHL career the following season. In 277 career games with the Flyers, Morgan scored 50 goals and added 85 assists for 135 points and has had two 40+ point seasons. This season he was fourth in Flyers scoring with 11 goals and 14 assists for 25 points in 48 games and has a 51.8% win percentage in faceoffs.

5. Players to Watch

Flames - Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee

Pretty hard not to go with the new guys, as all eyes will be on them less than 48 hours after being acquired by the Flames.

Frost has 11 goals and 25 points in 49 skates this season, including a pair of game-winners, while Farabee has eight goals and 19 points in 50 games.

“With everything going on, I think Frosty and I have talked about just how nice it is that we have each other at a time like this,” said Farabee. “It’s obviously something neither of us have ever been through, so just to have that familiarity, coming to the rink with somebody will be nice.

“But we’re super-pumped.”

Red Wings - Dylan Larkin

The Detroit captain had a tally against the Oilers and has collected two goals and six points in his last five games. He sits second in team scoring with 22 goals and 48 points.