5 THINGS - FLAMES VS. SENATORS

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GAME DAY VIDEO
Game Day with Brendan Parker
Pre-Game Interviews
GAME DAY FEATURES
Projected Lineup
Say What - 'Match Their Intensity'
STAT PACK
Head-to-Head Stats
Media Game Notes
Scoring Leaders
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Leading Scorers:
Flames:
Points - Johnny Gaudreau (20)
Goals - Gaudreau (9)
Senators:
Points - Drake Batherson (18)
Goals - Batherson, Brady Tkachuk (9)
Special Teams:
Flames:
PP - 21.3% (15th) / PK - 78.2% (17th)
Senators:
PP - 15.7% (25th) / PK - 75.3% (24th)
Advanced Stats:
Flames:
Shot Attempts: 51.17% (9th)
High-Danger Chances: 50.14% (18th)
Senators:
Shot Attempts: 50.02% (12th)
High-Danger Chances: 50.12% (19th)

1. US

With their busiest month behind them, the Flames will now look to March up the standings with a healthy dose of home cooking.
Nine of their next 15 games and 20 of the 33 left in the campaign will played on Scotiabank Saddledome ice, with the club entering Thursday's tilt three points back of a playoff spot and in need of a response.
The Flames are coming off a disappointing road trip that ended with a 5-1 loss to the Senators Monday, and saw them win only twice in six tries to fall below the .500 mark.
But the players know there's a fine line between playing panicked, and playing with urgency.
They know control their own destiny and are excited about the schedule (and opportunity) that lies ahead.
"You can't be so urgent that you're psyching yourself out and you can't make a play, or you can't handle the puck or stuff like that," Milan Lucic. "Sometimes, you've got to take a deep breath, smile and enjoy what you're doing.
"It's about looking forward to the challenge and embracing the struggle, because when things are good or when things are bad, there are struggles and challenges that you deal with on a day-to-day basis and it's the way your perception is -the way you approach it and the way you embrace it - that's how you come out of it."
And, some reinforcements are on the way.
The Flames returned to the ice Wednesday with some fresh faces at practice. Jacob Markstrom - who missed the final five games of the trip with an upper-body injury - was back blocking rubber at his usual tempo and looks poised to return.
Head Coach Geoff Ward said the twine-minder was going through the "final hurdles" to get clearance from the team's medical staff, but added: "He should be good to go, based on what we saw."
Markstrom has an 8-6-1 record, along with a .909 save percentage and a 2.87 goals-against average in 15 appearances this year.
"It sucks not being out there to battle with the team," he said. "You want to be out there for the good times, but also when we're not playing our best. When guys are battling, you want to be out there with them and help us get out of this little slump. It's very frustrating not to play and have to be on the sidelines and watch, but I just try to do I can, be positive, give input and try to push guys as much as I can. That's been going on since I've been out of the lineup."
The good news didn't stop there. Derek Ryan was also a full participant after sitting out the past 10 with a broken finger.
"I feel great," Ryan said. "Ready to go.
"Fully functional and ready to get back on the ice and help the boys get after it."

2. THE DOC WILL SEE YOU NOW

Since becoming a Flame three years ago, Ryan's impact on the team has been immeasurable.
Yes, he's one of the most capable, two-way centres on the roster, plays in every situation imaginable, and has been a consistent producer offensively, but when it comes to his leadership qualities?
That's where the man truly shines.
"I think that's a lot easier for me coming in now," Ryan said. "The guys just got back from a long road trip and I've been here the whole time. I haven't been in the battle with the guys and on the flights and whatnot, so I can come in and be a bit of a fresh face. No negativity, all positivity, and don't carry anything from these past few games.
"I think it's pretty easy for me as I assimilate back into the group to have that positivity."
That 'outside' perspective is vital to injecting a fresh mindset and helping shuck the narrative that has orbited the team over the past week or so.
And he knew it couldn't wait until game day.
"It started today," Ryan said. "I wanted to bring some positive energy on the ice with practice - wanted to be upbeat. As you can imagine, things are a little heavy around here, guys are gripping the sticks and it's just not the happiest place right now.
"I was just trying to bring some positivity today at practice and then when I get in the lineup, it's more of that, more of the energy."
Could this be a boost for a Flames team in need of a spark?
The coach thinks so.
"There was real positive energy out there, and that becomes contagious," Ward said. "Guys come out and work hard, their executing at practice, and that sets a standard that other guys can easily fall into now. That's why we talk about the important of roving leadership within our team. When you see an opportunity to lead, you lead. And those guys today both supplied that. Little bits of positive moments and little bits of positive energy go a long way in terms of getting the rudder turned and moving in the right direction."

3. THE OTHER SIDE

While the Flames enjoyed the day off Tuesday after an extended stay in the nation's capital, the Senators got a head-start on a six-game road trip with a quick stopover in Montreal.
But unlike the previous night against Calgary, the offence never left the tarmac.
Brendan Gallagher and Jeff Petry scored powerplay goals 2:04 apart in the second period, and Carey Price made 26 saves as the Canadiens knocked off the Sens 3-1.
Drake Batherson had an assist for Ottawa, but his franchise-record six-game goal streak came to an end. Joey Daccord - who batted clean-up in Saturday's loss to the Flames - got his first start of the season and made 30 saves.
"I thought we did a good job getting pucks on net, getting guys there, but some of the best goalies in the league can win a game for their team," Brady Tkachuk said of Carey Price's 26-save effort. "So be it. We live and we learn."
Batherson, meanwhile, has now overtaken Tkachuk as the team's point leader with 18 (9G, 9A) in 25 games - and while his impressive goal streak has come to an end, he still rides a career-long, seven-game point spree.
"He's dangerous every time he's out there," Senators coach D.J. Smith. "He's making plays, he's getting better defensively, he's blocking shots. He's turning into a really good NHL player and one that I believe is going to be a good player for a long time for this team."
In other Sens-related news:

4. PLAYERS TO WATCH

Flames - Josh Leivo
Leivo was reunited with Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan at Wednesday's practice.
The 27-year-old is still searching for his first goal as a Flame, but according to Natural Stat Trick, is eighth on the team with 2.27 expected goals, 5-on-5. He has 24 shots and 27 individual scoring chances - including 11 from the high-danger areas.
It's only a matter of time.
Senators - Thomas Chabot
Chabot had a four-point streak snapped with Tuesday's loss to the Habs, but had another mammoth night on the Ottawa blueline with 26:35 of ice time. The 24-year-old is averaging north of 25 minutes per game and has 15 points (3G, 12A) in 22 dates this year.

5. QUOTABLE

"I'd like to tell you that this is the only stretch of this that I've seen over the course of a lot of years, but it's not. I've seen it with other teams, I've been involved with it with other teams, and we've got players in our room that have been involved in it. So, that experience now comes to the front. There's no panic in our situation. We understand exactly where we're at, but we also understand the only people that are going to get us out of this is ourselves. So, we need to come together, collectively, do the things that we need to do to make positive plays, we need to look after what's important on a daily basis, and we'll start to go the other way again."
- Geoff Ward on battling through this tough stretch