5 Things - Flames vs. Sharks

1. Let's Get At 'Er

With practice after practice – after practice, after practice – Head Coach Ryan Huska figured the players would be thrilled when this week was over.

So, Blake Coleman, are you a happy guy today?

“Yep,” the winger laughed following Saturday’s dress rehearsal at WinSport. “Ready to play. Ready to play.”

As the Flames officially close the book on their mid-season ‘mini camp,’ their attention – gleefully – turns to tonight, as the NHL schedule resumes with a pivotal home date to help get their playoff push back on the right foot.

With losses in three straight (0-2-1) entering the two-week pause, the break couldn’t have come at a better time for the locals, who were battered and bruised, and could sense the finer details of their game needed attention after a frenzied stretch that saw them play 10 games in only 17 days.

To that end, practice time in the past month was virtually non-existent.

So, as much as the extended time running drills did little to satisfy their insatiable, competitive hunger, solidifying their system play, while returning to full health, has put the entire team in a better spot now than they were back on Feb. 9.

And that has everything excited about the opportunity here in the final 27 games.

“It was a good review,” Coleman said. “It was just such a good rest for us, both mentally and physically. In the end, it really was only a week off the ice, but that does give you enough time to get the engines back on. You can feel it; there’s a lot of energy and excitement and it’s nice to get a boost like this going into the last two months of the season.

“It almost brings you back to college days where you have two games on the weekend and basically have the whole week to prepare. So, I have a pretty good understanding on when to push my body and today, especially, was good to just kind of get a shorter skate, but at a higher tempo. Earlier this week our skates were a little longer and they were more cardio-type sessions.

“I've been around long enough now that I really have a good understanding of what my body needs to properly ramp up to game day.”

The same can be said of Connor Zary (knee) and Kevin Bahl (upper body), who practiced with the team all week and could return to the lineup tonight after missing 15 and eight games, respectively, but currently remain on the injured reserve.

That, too, should provide a jolt of enthusiasm for a Flames team that’s currently chasing the Vancouver Canucks by three points (with a game in hand) in the wild-card race.

While the Flames, at 26-21-8, should be commended for how they’ve played in the first 55 dates of the campaign, the players know they have a big job ahead of them.

And no one is satisfied yet.

“We've got seven games to the (trade) deadline and we want to put ourselves in a good position,” Coleman said. “We know we have a tough road trip coming up, but if we can take care of business tomorrow, then come out of that in a good position, then I feel pretty confident that we could hang with the best of 'em.

“It's just a hard reset on everything. You almost just forget everything that's happened before. We just look at the standings and say, 'Here we go. We've got some points to make up.' And then we want to keep climbing from there.

“We're getting a few bodies back that we were out before the break and guys that are key contributors for us, so we feel like when we're at full strength, we can beat anybody – and that's the way our team operates.

“We need everybody the lineup and everybody going because when we get contributions up and down, that's huge. Those guys (Zary and Bahl) will be a huge boost for us. And then, obviously, the Philly acquisitions (Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee), they're getting more and more comfortable and are continuing to mold into our team identity.

“I think we're in a really strong position and I’m excited to get going again.”

2. Know Your Enemy

No, this isn’t a bait post …

But the Sharks are certainly reeling these days, dropping four straight – including an 8-3 drubbing at the hands of the Dallas Stars – prior to the break.

They currently sit last in the West with a 15-35-7 record and have only one win in their last 10 (1-8-1) overall.

Even with superstar-in-the-making and 2025 rookie-of-the-year frontrunner Macklin Celebrini running show, it hasn’t been the smoothest of rides in the Silicon Valley.

“I think Mac (Celebrini) and Will (Smith) were playing some of their best hockey, in my opinion, so I don't think they necessarily needed it," former Flame and Sharks leading lamp-lighter Tyler Toffoli told reporters earlier this week. "I think rest is always good in any sense. You know they always say rest is a weapon."

“The break) definitely felt good for me. I was feeling a little banged up and came back feeling really good and excited.”

Celebrini tops all Sharks skaters in points with 40 (17G, 23A), and is only one point back of Montreal’s Lane Hutson for the NHL’s rookie scoring lead, despite playing in 11 fewer games.

Of note: Former Flames forward Walker Duehr makes his return to the Saddledome tonight after being claimed off waivers by the Sharks on Jan. 22.

Nikolai Kovalenko (upper body) and Jan Rutta (lower body) are both out with injuries, prompting the recall of forward Collin Graf and defenceman Jack Thompson from the AHL's San Jose Barracuda.

Nico Sturm and Alex Wennberg, who both missed time prior to the 4 Nations break, could both return to the lineup tonight.

3. Fast Facts

Pacific Proficiency:

The Calgary Flames enter tonight’s contest with a 9-4-2 record against Pacific Division opponents and dating back to Dec. 31 have recorded points in five-straight games against Pacific Division clubs with a 5-0-1 record. Over that span, the Flames have outscored their division rivals 17-10.

Kads Closing In:

Nazem Kadri enters tonight’s contest with 19 goals on the season, and with one more, will record his third consecutive 20-goal season with Calgary. The only players in the previous 30 years to score 20 goals in each of their first three seasons with the Flames are Sean Monahan (7 from 2013-14 - 2019-20), Daymond Langkow (4 from 2005-06 – 2008-09) and Rene Bourque (3 from 2008-09 - 2010-11).

Return of the Mack:

With an assist in his last outing against Seattle on Feb. 8, MacKenzie Weegar extended his assist streak to five games. He has become the third Flames defenseman with a run of that length in the past 10 years, joining Mark Giordano (5 GP in 2018-19 & 2015-16) and TJ Brodie (2x: 5 GP in 2015-16). He is one helper shy of matching his career-long six-game assist streak he set in 2020-21.

4. Black History Celebration

With tonight being our annual Black History Celebration game, we’re proud to unveil this beautiful jersey and logo designed by Calgary-born actor Jarod Joseph.

Growing up as a Flames fan in the '90s, Joseph was inspired by trailblazers Jarome Iginla, Fred Brathwaite and Grant Fuhr. Considering the styles of Flames jerseys during their tenures and looking to traditional Black History Month designs, this jersey pays homage to Jarod's hockey heroes from his childhood.

“As a kid growing up in Calgary, to see a black superstar player in the NHL as our captain was inspiring,” Joseph said. “It was the first time for me seeing black people on the ice and that it was my team, right here in Calgary."

Player-signed jerseys will be available for auction later this evening, with proceeds being directed to the CSEC Inclusion Program.

5. Players To Watch

Flames - Connor Zary

He’s baaaaaack.

(Potentially.)

One of Calgary’s most dynamic offensive weapons could return to the lineup tonight after missing the past six weeks with a knee injury.

Zary, who showed real promise at the centre position prior to the Jan. 7 incident, practiced this week on a line with Mikael Backlund at centre and Blake Coleman on the opposite flank.

“They're important pieces of our team,” Huska said of Zary and fellow returnee Kevin Bahl earlier this week. “We often talk about certain players a lot … But Connor, he was quietly putting together a really good year where he became an important piece of our offensive game, for sure,

Sharks - Will Smith

The fourth-overall pick in the 2023 Draft is putting together an impressive rookie season, with eight and 23 points to his name in his first 49 outings.

The former U.S. National Development Team and Boston College standout has been a human highlight reel everywhere he’s played.

And now, the points are coming in bunches at the game's top level.

The 19-year-old has 10 points (2G, 8A) in his last nine games, which included a six-game spree at the front end.