'Good To Be Back'

He’s done enough yelling at the TV.

Now Jacob Markstrom’s ready to get back between the pipes.

The Flames netminder returned to the active roster Sunday after suffering a fractured finger in practice Dec. 4, with a date against the NHL team that drafted him - the Florida Panthers - on tap for Monday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Get tickets

“I feel good,” Markstrom said following a brisk on-ice session Sunday morning. “Obviously good to be back, practicing with the team. It’s never fun to watch the games on TV.”

It’s been a trying month or so for Markstrom, who also missed time due to injury and illness in November.

Thanks to his most recent affliction, he was sidelined for seven games including last night’s 4-2 victory over Tampa Bay.

“It’s frustrating, for sure. I missed the Ontario trip, missed two games, played in Montreal,” Markstrom recalled. “We came back, a week later I get sick against Vegas, play a few games and then this happens.

“Since I came to Calgary, I haven’t missed many games at all. It’s something new, for sure, that I’m not used to in the later days of my career, but it gives me and (Goaltending Coach Jason LaBarbera) a lot of time to work on details and stuff you can’t really work on when you’re playing two, three times a week.”

Markstrom conceded the end result with his injury could have been a lot worse, in that he could have been sidelined for a longer period of time, but he also admitted these last two weeks have offered up an exercise in patience.

“I think I skated the day after it happened, I was hoping to be able to play, but (holding) the stick, (I) needed some modifications on the blocker hand,” he noted.

“The trainers did a great job.”

Before the injury, Markstrom and the Flames were starting to cook, too. He posted wins in two of his last three starts (both against the Dallas Stars), helping Calgary finish the month of November with a 7-4-2 record.

It remains to be seen if Markstrom will get the start in goal Monday against the Panthers; Flames Head Coach Ryan Huska described running mate Dan Vladar's 31-save performance against the Lightning as 'terrific' in his postgame availability Saturday night.

Needless to say, Markstrom’s competitive spirit will come in handy as the Flames prepare to navigate the final week of action before the NHL briefly breaks for the holidays.

Calgary currently finds themselves three points behind Arizona for the second wild-card berth in the Western Conference standings, with three games on the docket between now and Dec. 23.

“We’re scratching and clawing to get back in a wild-card spot, these last few games are gonna be huge,” Markstrom said.

“Christmas (will) be a lot more fun with a few wins.”