'It Starts Tonight'

If it seems like the Flames haven’t been home a lot this fall, it’s because it’s true.

That’s all about to change tonight, when Calgary and Vegas meet on Scotiabank Saddledome ice for the first time this season. Get tickets

The Flames will contest just their eighth home game of the season - their seven home games played are the fewest in the NHL - while a full two-thirds of their 21 games played to date have been road affairs.

But tonight’s game with the Golden Knights marks the start of a six-game homestand - one of two such extended stays on the 2023-24 schedule - a welcome sign on the calendar for a group that’s logged more than their fair share of travel through the first quarter of the campaign.

Calgary holds a 3-3-1 home record to date, with tonight’s matchup against Vegas presenting an opportunity to move above the .500 mark on their home playing surface, and a step closer to the .500 mark overall.

Needless to say, the Flames seem quite happy to put down roots at home over the next 13 days.

“It’ll be nice to unpack the suitcase and stay home for a couple weeks, that’s for sure,” forward Nazem Kadri said following Monday's morning skate. “Obviously important games for us, we want to take advantage of home ice, it starts tonight.”

Teammate Elias Lindholm, meanwhile, is looking forward to getting back to work in front of the C of Red for the next half-dozen games.

“It’ll be good, obviously it’s been a tough schedule for us,” he said. “It’s always nice to be home, especially for a little stint, play a couple games in front of our fans, it’ll be good.”

As nice as it is for the Flames to be back in the friendly confines of the 'Dome, the team has also found success in its recent travels.

Calgary has claimed wins in three of their last five road contests, including a season-high seven-goal output this past Friday in Dallas.

Head Coach Ryan Huska is happy to be home, but figures the hearty serving of away games will pay dividends in the long run.

“We have had a tougher stretch, if you want to call it that, with the road games that we’ve had,” Huska said Monday morning, “but I would much rather start on the road like we did this year than how we started last year, for sure, where we had nine of 10 at home.”

Tonight’s challenge against the defending Stanley Cup champs is a daunting one, but tonight’s visitors also arrive in Calgary having been shut out in three of their last six games.

For the Flames, the start of the homestand presents an opportunity to build on recent successes - the last three fixtures at the 'Dome have yielded five of a possible six points - Huska and company are keeping their minds set on the task at hand tonight, though, instead of the bigger picture.

"We’ve talked a lot about how the most important game for us is the one that’s right in front of us, we have to be at our best tonight,” Huska said.

“This is an opportunity for us to come back after a .500 road trip and make sure this is our best game of the year.”