BACK IN THE GROOVE

If Michael Stone had any rust to his game, it certainly wasn't evident on Saturday.
With Oliver Kylington out with a lower-body injury (day-to-day), the veteran defender was called into action, lining up alongside Chris Tanev in the 3-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings.
It was the 31-year-old's first game action since Dec. 5 in Vegas and just his third game all season.
"It was good. It was kind of a late audible there, but it was nice to get in and play," Stone told CalgaryFlames.com on Sunday morning.
"That was nice to get the legs under me, too. I didn't get stuck in my own zone for much of the first little bit of the hockey game. I had a couple long ones at the end, but that happens and I came away from the game feeling pretty good."

Being paired up with Tanev means Stone is playing on his off-side - making his quick transition back into game-play even more impressive.
"It's different," he explained. "There's a few awkward kind of spots you can get in. But Chris is such a good player, he takes care of his defence partners and you don't see him out of position too often, if ever. He takes pretty good care of me.
"In the offensive zone you can get a little handcuffed, but other than that, neutral-zone stuff, that's... I don't think about it. You just play and you don't have any problems."

Tonight's battle against the Avalanche marks the team's fifth game in seven days - a stretch that has included two back-to-back sets - and has featured some gritty performances that have led them to a 3-1 record through this span.
Keeping that momentum - and the energy the club got from last Saturday's 4-3 OT win in Denver - will be crucial as they wrap up this week's hectic schedule.
"We need to keep building off some good efforts here and we know how the last one went in here. It was a good hockey game and I expect the same tonight. crowd," Stone said.
"For me, I played not much lately and last year we didn't have any fans, so I feed off anything. Even just watching, you feel the emotion and adrenaline throughout the game, so it's nice.
"I know I'm capable of playing. I think everybody feels the same way. Just play the way I know how to play and everything will work out."
Game time is 6 p.m. MT with Sportsnet West and One carrying the television broadcast.