5 Things - Flames vs. Red Wings

1. Last Time Out

The wounds were almost entirely self-inflicted.

And, often, those are the most punishing.

In the aftermath of a 6-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks, MacKenzie Weegar and the Flames had some pointed words about why the result played out like it did.

“I thought we expected it to be an easy game,” Weegar said of Thursday's opponent, who entered the night near the basement of the league standings, but clearly had some chomp in their step.

“That’s what it looked like to me. That’s the explanation I can give. Disappointing. I think we thought it was going to be an easy game, and then we just got outworked and outcompeted, and that’s not normally like us.”

Nazem Kadri opened the scoring with his 17th of the season at 4:19 of the first, driving the net and bunting a Martin Pospisil rebound past Mackenzie Blackwood with the inside of his right skate to give the Flames a 1-0 lead.

The locals had a number of golden opportunities to extend the lead, including a Jonathan Huberdeau breakaway and a Mikael Backlund blast off the post, along with two powerplay chances in the opening frame.

But they were unable to convert.

And soon, the floodgates opened in the wrong direction, thanks to a series of Flames turnovers.

Filip Zadina had a career-high four-point night (2G, 2A), while Justin Bailey had a goal and two helpers, as the visitors rattled off three goals each in the second and third periods.

Backlund and Andrei Kuzmenko rounded out the scoring for Calgary, while Dustin Wolf – who has since been returned to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers with Dan Vladar coming off IR – stopped 25 of 31.

“I don’t know how we could think that any team would be easy, to be quite honest,” said Head Coach Ryan Huska. “We’re in a fight every day and if you’re not at your best – and we’ve talked about it a lot before – then you’re not going to win. It doesn’t matter who you’re playing.

“There needs to be, as part of the compete, an emotional attachment to the game. You have to have a little snarl to you. There were a few people that did for us tonight. Marty Pospisil was one of our players that I thought he played the way we needed to play.

“But there weren’t a lot more.”

While a game like that will almost certainly leave a sour taste in the mouths of the players, the beauty of this league is that there’s no time to dwell on past transgressions.

The palate-cleanser comes in the form of the next one.

And, arguably, their most important ‘one’ yet.

2. Know Your Enemy

The (Winged) Wheel appears to have sprung a leak.

Through two spins on their four-game trip through the Pacific Northwest, Detroit has come out on losing end both times, while being outscored 12-5 in the process.

Gulp.

The Red Wings continue to hold down the second wild-card spot in the East, two points clear of the Devils and three of the Islanders, with an even number of games played.

However, their latest defeat – a 4-1 setback to the Canucks on Thursday – showed clear signs of improvement after being shellacked by the Oilers, 8-4, only 48 hours earlier.

Not that the stat sheet lessened the sting, mind you.

“It was a frustrating night in that you come in here, you limit a team like that to 21 shots and a handful of chances – might have given up six chances all night long – and we just didn't generate enough offence,” Wings Head Coach Derek Lalonde told NHL.com.

J.T. Compher scored and Alex Lyon made 17 saves for the Red Wings (27-20-6), who have now lost three of their last four.

Lyon came on in relief of the injured Ville Husso in Edmonton and entered that game with a 14-6-2 record, along with a .921 save percentage and a 2.54 goals-against average.

He’s now given up 11 goals on only 50 shots in these last two outings, dropping his save percentage all the way down to .911.

“I didn't love my game tonight,” Lyon told reporters. “I'll say it flat-out. But that being said, I gave up seven last game and so it was just about re-engaging and then you give up two quick and it turns into a mental grind … and I felt like I found a groove later in the game.”

Dylan Larkin leads the Red Wings in scoring with 23 goals and 47 points on the year, but it’s been one of the newest members of the squad – Patrick Kane – who’s been the team’s catalyst offensively so far on the trip.

Kane had a two-point night (1G, 1A) against the Oilers, before adding an assist on Compher tally in Vancouver.

The winger, who returned from hip surgery and signed a one-year deal with the Wings in late November, has eight goals and 20 points in 22 games.

3. Quotable

Nazem Kadri on the challenge the Red Wings present:

“What stands out is probably their pace. They can skate. (They're) a highly skilled team with a lot of players that can make you look bad. We’ve got to make sure not to be reckless with the puck, take care of it and make sure, systematically, we’re on point, and try to expose them a little bit defensively as well.”

Blake Coleman on moving on from a tough loss:

“The beauty of this league is you can park it real quick. We've got a quick turnaround here for (Saturday), and a good opponent that's in the same position as us, fighting for a playoff spot."

4. Fast Facts

Shuffle 'Em up

On Friday, the Flames made a number of roster moves, including the aforementioned assignment of Dustin Wolf to the AHL's Wranglers. In addition, forward Cole Schwindt has also been returned to the farm, while 28-year-old Dryden Hunt has been summoned to the big club.

In 23 games with the Wranglers this season, Hunt has 22 points (7G, 15A). He's appeared in four games with the Flames this year - all in the first month of the campaign - averaging 12:45 in ice time.

The 'Mark' Horse

With a record of 99-68-25 in 197 games as a Flame, Jacob Markstrom is only one win away from becoming the fifth goaltender in history to record 100 victories with the franchise.

5. Players To Watch

Flames - Jonathan Huberdeau

Huberdeau picked up an assist on Andrei Kuzmenko’s late tally on Thursday, giving 700 career points in the NHL. He is now the third skater from the 2011 Draft class to reach the 700-point plateau, joining Nikita Kucherov (819) and Johnny Gaudreau (718).

The 30-year-old has been on a nice run to start the new year, recording four goals and 17 points in 18 games dating back to Dec. 31, including six points (2G, 4A) in his last five outings.

Since being put on a line with Kuzmenko and Yegor Sharangovich, the trio has been one of the Flames’ best units with 70.59% (24-10) of the scoring chances and 84.62% (11-2) of the high-danger looks together at 5-on-5.

Red Wings - Alex DeBrincat

The kid can certainly shoot.

You may recall that DeBrincat tallied a hat-trick in a 6-2 win over the Flames back on Oct. 22 at Little Caesars Arena – and he hasn’t slowed down since.

The 26-year-old enters the weekend with 45 points (19G, 26A) in 53 games and has clearly rediscovered the chemistry he and Kane had together from their time in Chicago, creating a deadly, 1-2 punch on the powerplay.