'HITTING' HIS STRIDE

The lasting image of Thursday's win won't be one of glory, goals and 10-bell saves.
It can't be.
Not when the guttural, ground-and-pound game took centre stage like that.

As crucial and syrupy sweet as the victory was in that, the ninth installment of the Battle of Alberta, one particular scene will certainly stand out for Flames fans.
"I love it," Nikita Nesterov said of going head-to-head against Connor McDavid. "I think everybody loves it.
"He's the best player in the league and you need to stay strong and ready when he's out on the ice."
McDavid did what he does best - loading up at his own blueline, picking up steam as he crossed over centre, challenging the D and looking to make fools of them, as he has done so often in his career.
But not this time.
This time … He took a seat.
Nesterov stepped up, slamming the door shut and pressing his red-and-black Bauer fiercely into the star's chest. McDavid went crashing to the ice after a fair bit of hang time, the puck gobbled up, and the Flames turned the play back in transition to eliminate the threat.
It was one of five hits on the night for Nesterov, who logged 20-plus minutes for the second straight game as he takes on a bigger role in the absence of Noah Hanifin.
So far, so good.
"The one thing that's been a little more evident with the increased role is that he's trying to play the game at a faster pace of play - and that's with his feet, and with the puck," said Assistant Coach Ryan Huska, who looks after the defencemen. "He's keeping his game simple and that's really what we need out of him.
"It's about understanding the expectation for how we want our team and our defencemen to play. We don't want to slow things down; we want to close as quick as we can to take away their time and space. Maybe some of his background comes into play here. He's used to playing on a bigger ice surface in Russia where that's typically how they would have played the game.
"With him having an increased role, I think he feels a greater sense of value right now, too, and he's excited about it and he's feeling good where he's at."

Naturally, getting contact on players like McDavid and Leon Draisaitl is no small task. They're immensely talented offensive drivers, who not only have the skill to beat players one-on-one, but the vision to open up lanes for their teammates.
That's why it's imperative for the defencemen to maintain a tight gap, have support from the forwards, and always have numbers above the puck.
And if you can add a physical dimension? Great!
Nesterov has taken that all to heart.
"We're challenging them to be harder to play against," Huska said. "With that increase in ice time, he wants to make an impression, to show that he deserves to be in that spot all the time. Darryl challenged some of the guys on the backend a little while ago that we need a little bit more from them and somebody has to step up and grab a spot that's left by Noah's injury.
"I really think he's trying to take advantage of that."
Later in the game Thursday, Nesterov made a goal-saving shot block on Draisaitl, who posted up at the right circle and had an open net to shoot for on the one-timer, but No. 89 courageously stepped into the lane and took the sniper's high-speed offering up near the neck.
That prompted quite the reaction from Jacob Markstrom, which unfortunately we can't repeat, after seeing his teammate put it all the line.
It's early, but if the Flames are going to survive the loss one of their best blueliners, they need someone to dial it up a notch.
And right now, Nesterov is doing everything in his power to be that guy.
"Deep down, he probably feels that, 'Hey, I can do a little bit more of these situations to earn some more ice time,'" Huska said.
"The first couple games that he's played have been good ones.
"Now, I think his biggest test will come tomorrow night."