5 Things - Flames vs. Stars

1. November to Remember

Seven wins in the month of November, and a chance tonight to make it eight.

The Flames go searching for a season series win this evening when the Stars pay their final visit of the regular season to Scotiabank Saddledome. Get tickets

Calgary is 1-for-1 on their current six-game homestand, thanks to a dramatic 2-1 overtime victory Monday against Vegas that included a third-period rally and last-gasp decider.

Tonight, as they sit close to a Western Conference wild card berth (the author said, examining the standings with 60 regular-season games to play), the Flames will look to keep to their winning ways in a rubber match against a Stars team against whom they exploded for seven goals last Friday night in the Lone Star State.

Comeback wins have been the theme of the month for the locals, something goaltender Jacob Markstrom touched on his return to practice Wednesday after missing Monday’s win with an illness.

“Obviously, we’ve had a few comeback wins, (you) just trust the process and stick with the game plan,” Markstrom said. “You saw it (against) Vegas, it was 1-0 for the longest time, chances back and forth, Vladdy stood on his head and gave the team a chance to tie it up in the third.”

After an October hiccup, Head Coach Ryan Huska’s group has continued to build confidence and self-belief through November.

And one of the most important aspects to that turnaround, if you ask the bench boss, is that the team is playing a style of hockey that’s conducive to success.

“We’re much more connected, so if there is a breakdown, we have people where they should be,” Huska said Wednesday. “I think that’s a big thing.

“But I’ve also seen the work ethic and compete from them, you can probably look at the last 10 games, maybe one of them, they haven’t really been driving hard.”

It’s been a month, according to Huska, that’s seen the team learn from early mistakes.

“The one positive thing with it(about the early struggles), is how the guys have responded,” Huska commented.

“They keep pushing and working to get better, and that’s what we’re looking for.”

2. Know Your Enemy

Dallas started the week on a winning note Tuesday by posting a 2-0 victory in Winnipeg, moving to within two points of first-place Colorado in the Central Division.

Joe Pavelski and Tyler Seguin lit the lamp for the Stars, while Jake Oettinger turned aside all 27 shots he faced to earn his first shutout of the season.

“We were ready to play tonight,” head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters following Tuesday's contest. “We were dialed in.

"That last game (a 7-4 home loss to the Flames Nov. 24) left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.”

Dallas has been one of the NHL’s best road teams this season, boasting an 8-1-1 record away from American Airlines Center; they’ll lean on that good fortune both tonight and over the next week too.

This evening’s game marks the end of a quick, two-game Canadian swing for Dallas, who including tonight are set to play four of the next five games away from home.

3. Fast Facts

2023-24 Season Series:

Tonight’s contest is the final meeting in the three-game season series between Calgary and Dallas, with both sides owning a victory from the two previous encounters.

The Stars claimed a 4-3 victory at the 'Dome Nov. 1, despite the fact Calgary fired a season-high 47 shots on Jake Oettinger in the Stars goal.

The Flames returned the favour six nights ago in Dallas, rallying from a 4-2 deficit with five unanswered goals to win 7-4.

Calgary has scored by committee all season long and the season series with Dallas serves as no exception; 10 different skaters have lit the lamp for the Flames, with Elias Lindholm leading the way with four points (1G, 3A) from the two prior meetings.

Did You Know?

The Flames have seen offensive contributions from up and down the lineup through the first quarter of the NHL season, and find themselves near the top of the NHL ladder in terms of balanced scoring.

Calgary is one of only five NHL teams with 10 or more four-goal scorers this season. Detroit, Los Angeles and New Jersey lead the way with 11 each, while the Flames and Winnipeg Jets each boast 10 players on the roster with four or more tallies.

4. Roster Notes

The Flames practiced with the following line combinations Wednesday:

Forwards

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

Defence

MacKenzie Weegar - Rasmus Andersson
Noah Hanifin - Chris Tanev
Dennis Gilbert - Nikita Zadorov
Jordan Oesterle

Goaltenders

Jacob Markstrom
Dan Vladar

5. Players to Watch

Flames - MacKenzie Weegar

Fresh off an overtime winner Monday night against Vegas, the Flames defenceman is set to close out the month of November having already surpassed his goal total from the 2022-23 campaign.

In two games against the Stars this season, Weegar has scored once while also chipping in a pair of helpers.

Along with defence parter Rasmus Andersson, Weegar holds a share of the Flames scoring lead among blueliners with 11 points.

Stars - Joe Pavelski

The 39-year-old comes into tonight’s game riding a seven-game point streak, during which he has scored five goals, bringing his season tally to 10.

Pavelski is the oldest player in franchise history to have a point streak of seven or more games, and leads the Stars with 14 points in the month of November.

He’s put up a goal and an assist in the two meetings with the Flames this season.