5 Things - Flames vs. Wild

1. Wild Things

They're making our hearts sing.

And on this homestand, everything has been groovy.

Three games, three wins, and a sense of identity as the scrappy underdogs, the once written-off, never-shy bunch that has found a way to get things done, reaching the quarter-pole of the campaign with an 11-6-3 record, ahead of a Saturday matinee against Minnesota. TICKETS

But Thursday's 3-2 win over the Rangers felt different. Right from the drop of the puck, there was a sense of purpose - of hunger - that drove the group towards two points against one of the league's best teams.

Saturday poses a similar challenge: the Minnesota Wild stand between the Flames and a perfect 4-0-0 homestand.

But it's a challenge Nazem Kadri and his team is up for.

He's seen the predictions, the prognostications, and like his teammates, he's got a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

"Again, we don’t really care about that," Kadri said Friday, when asked about whether the wider perception of this Flames group is starting to change. "Our expectation has been high, and the standard has always been high here. I know we’ve been disrespected to a certain regard - from a media standpoint - just fuels the fire, we understand we’ve got great players in here.

"We’ve got a great mix of youth and veteran leadership, along with some great goaltending, that’s a pretty good recipe, I think."

Defenceman Kevin Bahl agreed, noting in his media availability Friday that he had an inkling when he was acquired by the Flames that he'd be joining a hard-working group.

One that's really starting to prove people wrong.

"People penciled us in, in a certain way," he said. "And we’ve kinda had that in the back of our mind, a lot of us."

Needless to say, there's a lot of season left.

But perhaps most encouraging about Calgary's most recent success is that it was driven by the future of the team.

All three goals against the Rangers came off the sticks of players 27 years of age or younger, and 23-year-old Dustin Wolf backstopped the bunch to his eighth victory of the season.

Of the NHL goalies with 10 or more games played this season, only one - Washington's Logan Thompson - has fewer regulation losses than Wolf, who's formed a pretty formidable partnership with Dan Vladar (another member of the 27 and under crew) to begin the campaign.

But as fun as Thursday was, Saturday's a different beast.

A Wild afternoon, shall we say.

And while the 2 p.m. start might mess with routine for some, for Kadri, it's just aces.

"I like them, get the evening off," he quipped when asked about matinee games.

"Wish we could play them all in the afternoon."

2. Know Your Enemy

The Wild have picked up points in 16 of their first 19 games to start the season, parlaying their 16-3-3 record to a second-place standing in the Central Division.

They close out a three-game road trip in Calgary after scoring a 4-2 win in St. Louis Tuesday night, and a 5-3 triumph Thursday in Edmonton in goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury's 1,000th career NHL start.

Marcus Johansson broke a 2-2 deadlock with a goal nine minutes into the second period, then Frederick Gaudreau added a pair of goals - part of a three-point effort - to put the game out of reach.

Offensively, it's been the Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy show in Minnesota. Kaprizov is tied for the NHL lead with 34 points, while Boldy has scored 11 goals over his first 19 games played.

Flames head coach Ryan Huska considers Kaprizov, especially, as a real threat on what he referred to Friday morning as one of the best teams in the NHL.

"He’s got a motor that just keeps on going, his feet are always moving, he’s a high, high-end skilled player," Huska said. "But the one thing that I think makes him one of the top players in the league right now is the willingness to get involved in the hard parts of the game.

"So he’s got an elite skill set, but he also never shies away from anything."

The Wild also have a minute-muncher on the blueline in Brock Faber, who's averaged 24:47 of ice-time per game to begin the year.

That figure ranks ninth in the league, and Faber averages just one second of ice-time per game less than Calgary d-man Rasmus Andersson, who sits eighth among ice-time leaders.

3. Fast Facts

2023-24 Season Series:

The road team was successful in two of the three matchups in 2023-24, with the Flames collecting three of a possible six points from their games against the Wild.

Minnesota scored a 5-2 win in their only visit to the Scotiabank Saddledome last season Dec. 5, then won 3-2 in a shootout on home ice nine days later.

Jonathan Huberdeau scored the decider in the final game of the 2023-24 season set, a 3-1 Calgary win at Xcel Energy Center Jan. 2.

Saturday afternoon's contest is the first of three meetings over the course of the 2024-25 campaign between the Flames and Wild.

The two sides will meet again in St. Paul Jan. 25, and once again at the 'Dome Apr. 11.

Did You Know:

Matt Coronato sure is enjoying the month of November.

He added two more points in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Rangers, and now leads the Flames in scoring this month with four goals and seven points.

The confidence is growing over each passing game, Thursday's goal required the patience and poise of a multi-year vet, and Coronato delivered with a perfect strike to the top corner.

But it's not just the offensive skills.

The 22-year-old is getting the job done away from the puck too - he leads the team with a +5 rating in November, and has been on the ice for only two even-strength goals against over his last eight games.

4. Sharky Shoots

His one-timer Thursday night was absolutely lethal.

And safe to say, the contest against the Rangers was Yegor Sharangovich's standout performance of the season.

A powerplay goal, two points, and according to head coach Ryan Huska, a return to form after a start to the year that was derailed by injury.

"I felt like he was the guy that we saw at the end of the year," Huska said. "He controlled the play a lot, the speed of his game was there again, and he looked like a threat to shoot, every time he was on the ice, like you felt like something was going to happen (Thursday) night.

"What we saw last night is the Sharan that we know."

5. Players To Watch

Flames - Kevin Bahl

The hulking rearguard draws a big assignment Saturday afternoon, in trying to contain the speedy Kaprizov and his Wild mates.

But Bahl has proven since arriving in Calgary that he's up for any challenge.

So far this season, his goals-for percentage is a career best 56% (per Natural Stat Trick), and his on-ice save percentage (.944) and PDO (1.027) are also at or near career highs.

He's benefitted from partner Rasmus Andersson's strong start to the season, for sure, but Bahl's quickly turned into a reliable presence in this, his first season as a Flame.

And while he's known more for his work in his own zone, Bahl's also on pace for a career-high in points; he had five shot attempts in Thursday's win over the Rangers.

Wild - Kirill Kaprizov

He holds a share of the league lead in scoring, so no question, the spotlight falls on Kaprizov, here.

The Russian forward had one assist Thursday night in Edmonton, but so far, he's danced his way to 34 points (11G, 23A) in 19 games, a pace that would shatter the career-best 108-point campaign he put up in 2021-22.

In fact, the flashy forward has only been held off the scoresheet three times this season, a run that's had him pegged as an early Hart Trophy contender.

He picked up a knock in Thursday's game against Edmonton, and received treatment in Calgary Friday, but Wild coach John Hynes told reporters Friday that his star avoided major injury.