5 Things - Flames vs. Utah HC

1. New Year, Same Flames

THAT was Flames hockey.

An inter-provincial grudge match that had emotion, physicality, and clutch moments by clutch players.

Calgary ended 2024 with a bang - figuratively and literally - Tuesday night, and this evening, they'll look to start 2025 the same way, hosting a brand-new opponent in the Utah Hockey Club at the Scotiabank Saddledome. GET TICKETS

That 3-1 win Tuesday was a rallying cry. CLICK TO READ GAME REPORT

Not just a response from a tough fate Sunday in Vegas, but the type of victory that galvanizes a team, that brings them closer together.

The type of victory that had the head coach grinning from ear to ear.

"I loved it. I thought it was a great game," Ryan Huska said after the victory. "That’s the most emotion that we’ve had in a game, and I thought our team fed off the building.

"It was a fun game to be part of, for sure."

The team spent Wednesday away from the rink - a welcome respite after three games in four nights - and this evening, the focus shifts to carrying over the momentum from New Year's Eve.

And that's not an easy feat.

Huska admitted the type of emotionally-charged game that took place Tuesday just doesn't happen anymore, and so now, the focus for the Flames will be on avoiding any kind of emotional letdown.

As for those clutch moments, Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau provided a special one 9:18 into the third period against the Canucks.

They finished 1-2 in team scoring in December (Huberdeau with 15 points, Kadri with 11), and Huska knows full well they - along with the rest of his leadership group - will be leaned upon as the calendar flips to 2025.

It's a role they've embraced, both in the spotlight and behind the scenes.

"You look at the six of those guys that we talked about a lot at the beginning of the year - haven’t talked much about lately - but they’ve been the drivers of our team over the last little while, they really have," Huska said Tuesday. "In our dressing room, on days off, practices, games, whatever the case may be, they’ve been the guys.

"You kinda had a feeling as the game was going on - ‘cause I thought they were a little bit quiet early on - but sometimes, when you look at Naz, you know something’s gonna happen. And that was a really big goal for us, for sure, because we haven’t scored a lot of goals off the rush this year, so it was nice to be able to get one like that."

So bring on 2025!

And make sure to pack your toque and mittens for the trip to the 'Dome!

It won't be long before we get to see what the New Year has in store.

2. Know Your Enemy

Utah lands in Calgary looking to find their footing in the New Year, having lost each of their last five games, including four straight in regulation.

Their most recent outing came two nights ago in Edmonton, where goals 20 seconds apart off the sticks of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Troy Stecher broke the game open for the hosts, as the Oilers came away with a 4-1 triumph.

“I liked our mindset in the game. I think we went to play the right way,” Utah coach Andre Tourigny told reporters after the contest. “We defended with a lot of pride, we were resilient all night long.

“Obviously, I don’t think we had the energy and the wheels to generate a lot of offence, but I loved the fight in our guys a lot.”

And part of that lack of energy was due to the absence of captain Clayton Keller, who leads the Utahns with 37 points on the season.

Keller was a late scratch Tuesday due to illness, a move Tourigny was forced into after the forward's condition worsened over the course of the game day.

“It started a little bit last night and even this morning he was pretty good," Tourigny said Tuesday night. "Then at game time, I thought we would dress an extra guy in the warmup and then when I saw him, I didn’t think he would play.

“He looked banged up. It happens to every team and it happened to us tonight.”

Recent results aside, it's hard to paint Utah's first half-season in the NHL as anything but a resounding success.

The franchise has taken the state by storm, and under Tourigny and general manager Bill Armstrong, the roster features quite the crop of burgeoning talent including Keller, Logan Cooley and Albertan Dylan Guenther.

They're right in the thick of things in the standings, too.

Utah sits five points back of the Flames for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference.

That makes this tilt a proverbial 'four-pointer,' and a must-win for both sides.

3. Fast Facts

2024-25 Season Series

Tonight marks the second meeting of the three-game season set, with Utah having scored a 5-1 home win back on Oct. 30.

Anthony Mantha had the lone Calgary marker in that contest, which was also Mikael Backlund's 1000th in the NHL.

After this evening's matchup, the two sides will meet once more - on April Fool's Day - at the Delta Center.

And while the franchise history from Arizona did not carry over to Utah following the sale to Ryan and Ashley Smith last spring, it's worth noting the Flames won each of their final nine home contests against the Coyotes dating back to the 2018-19 season.

Did You Know?

The Flames' Century Club is expected to add another member this evening.

Forwards Martin Pospisil and Connor Zary marked their 100th NHL appearances Tuesday against the Canucks - Zary added an exclamation point with his first-period goal - and tonight, defenceman Brayden Pachal is set to reach the same milestone.

The 25-year-old has gone about it the hard way, too, working his way up to the NHL after going undrafted over the course of a junior career that included a WHL title in 2019.

But the Estevan, Sask. product has found a home in Calgary after being claimed on waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights in February.

70 of his 99 career NHL appearances - and 88 of his 108 career penalty minutes - have come in a Flames uniform over the past 11 months.

4. Clap For The Wolfman

Dustin Wolf continues to earn his spot in Flames goaltending lore, even at the tender age of 23.

Tuesday's win over Vancouver was no exception.

Only one netminder in franchise history has recorded 20 wins with the club faster than Wolf - franchise legend Miikka Kiprusoff - after Wolf picked up No. 20 in career game No. 37.

And this season, he's been nigh on unbeatable at home, posting a 10-1-1 record, while his .937 save percentage at the Scotiabank Saddledome is the best among NHL 'tenders on home ice this season.

Those 10 home wins came in 12 home starts - the fewest required by a Calgary goalie to reach double-digits in wins since the franchise moved to Alberta 45 years ago.

5. Players to Watch

Flames - Yegor Sharangovich

Sharangovich was all around it Tuesday against the Canucks, finishing the contest with an assist and two shots on goal over 15:18 of ice-time.

His slot shot in period three was destined for the top corner, too, and only a last-gasp fling of the arm from Vancouver netminder Kevin Lankinen kept it out.

Tonight marks his second career contest against Utah, but last season, Sharky smelled blood in the water against many of the same collection of opponents when they wore Coyotes sweaters.

In three games against Arizona in 2023-24, he scored five times, a total that included his second career hat-trick and an overtime winner at the 'Dome.

Utah HC - Dylan Guenther

Guenther is clicking at nearly a point-per-game rate in 2024-25, and notched an assist Tuesday night at Rogers Place, the rink he formerly called home as a member of the Edmonton Oil Kings.

He scored a pair of goals in his last visit to the Scotiabank Saddledome, a 6-5 Flames win over the Coyotes April 14.

Guenther has a deadly release, one that's fooled NHL netminders a team-best 16 times already this season.

And he's one of only three NHL skaters aged 21 or younger - along with Utah teammate Logan Cooley - to have surpassed the 30-point mark this season.