GAME TIME!

You know what they say about living spontaneously …
Unless, of course, you're a hockey player.
These guys are nothing if not creatures of habit, and when it comes to their routines, those pesky, game-day rituals are not to be trifled with.
"Some guys were joking that they haven't had an afternoon nap in a while," laughed Head Coach Geoff Ward. "So, for sure, there's definitely a there's a rhythm that goes around a game day in the National Hockey League.

You know what they say about living spontaneously …
Unless, of course, you're a hockey player.
These guys are nothing if not creatures of habit, and when it comes to their routines, those pesky, game-day rituals are not to be trifled with.
"Some guys were joking that they haven't had an afternoon nap in a while," laughed Head Coach Geoff Ward. "So, for sure, there's definitely a there's a rhythm that goes around a game day in the National Hockey League.
"We're looking forward to it. … We're excited to play."
Today, the Flames are doing just that - dressing up in those beautiful, red-and-white sweaters and putting the reps in with a simulated game day, culminating with a 7 p.m. puck drop at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
With not a single pre-season date to fiddle with systems, conditioning and lines before the Jan. 14 opener, the Flames are hoping this red-white clash will look (and feel) like the real thing.
"We've got to get our reps in," said captain Mark Giordano, who will anchor the Team Iginla D core with newcomer Chris Tanev tonight. "With practice yesterday and even this morning, you could tell we were a lot sharper with our puck movement.
"We need to get into some battles; our bumps have to be there. We're obviously going to stay away from the big open-ice hits and stuff like that, but we have to play physical, we have to be on the body, just like the real game.
"All the guys understand that nobody's trying to hurt anybody out there, but we've got to get each other ready."
The Flames aren't new to this type of in-house prep. When the 2019-20 season resumed in the summertime, the Flames had three scrimmages with three different start times to mimic the quirky schedule they were faced with in the bubble.
The format for tonight's contest will be similar to the July editions that featured normal, 20-minute periods for the first and middle stanzas, followed by an extended, special-teams focus in the third and final frame.
It's no surprise, then, that the Flames were one of the most potent teams on the powerplay, finishing third with a 28.6% efficiency rate in 10 playoff games.
Practice makes perfect, after all.
"I thought it was great - we accomplished a lot," Giordano said of the summer scrimmages. "We simulated all types of different game situations. They were huge, and this is going to be important, too, going straight into a regular game in a shortened season."
Tonight's game will be available live on radio at Sportsnet 960 THE FAN, with highlights and post-game reaction to come here on CalgaryFlames.com.
The Flames will be back on action on Monday, Jan. 11, with their second and final tune-up date between Team Iginla and Team McDonald. That contest will be streamed live on CalgaryFlames.com.
So, while fans won't have the opportunity to watch what the Flames have been working on tonight, there's plenty to be excited about.
Milan Lucic, Sam Bennett and Dillon Dube - arguably the Flames' best line in the summer - have been reunited, and will look to pick up where they left off following a stellar playoff performance.
It will also serve as our first look at Rasmus Andersson on the top powerplay unit.
It's a job the 24-year-old has been auditioning for since he first broke into the league, and considering his pedigree as a powerplay producer with the OHL's Barrie Colts back in the day, he feels ready to make a splash.
"I've always felt comfortable in the position and now it's just about timing and getting back to feeling comfortable there," Andersson, who has an absolute cannon from the point, said after the morning skate. "The reps in practice are really good and tonight's going to be a good test, too.
"I feel ready for it and I feel excited about it. That's the most important thing. I'm excited to show the coaching staff that I'm the man for the job.
"I've got to do the little things right; I've got to bring up the puck with a lot of purpose and try to give as much space to Johnny, Chucky and Mony out there. And when I have the opportunity to shoot, I have to take it.
"That's the thing I'm focusing on, right? To show everyone I can play the position and play it (well)."
As for the goaltenders …
Jacob Markstrom, Artyom Zagidulin and Garret Sparks are on the roster for Team Iginla, while David Rittich and Louis Domingue are the two puck-stoppers for Team McDonald.
It's not clear who will get the nod for either side, but Head Coach Geoff Ward did say "we'll see everybody" tonight.
And finally, while Assistant GM Craig Conroy did a magnificent job reffing the summer scrimmages, Ward says that 'Connie' will be assigned a different role tonight, and will be "nowhere near the ice surface."
On a more serious note, the Flames will have a group of actual NHL referees and linesmen in the house tonight to officiate the game. They're a local team that have been training in the Saddledome after practice each day, and will be using these two scrimmages as their own form of conditioning for the upcoming season.