'You've Got To Win Hockey Games'

To a man, the Flames have turned the page from Thursday night’s loss to the Blues.

But after a practice that featured lots of skating and battle drills, the group is ready to forge on, knowing full well the bright lights of the national stage will be squarely on them Sunday night.

Calgary and Edmonton will duke it out, outdoors, in a Battle of Alberta that, in terms of look and feel, will hearken back to yesteryear.

Head Coach Ryan Huska made sure his group put in an honest day’s work at 7 Chiefs Sportsplex on Tsuut’ina Nation first, though.

“There were a lot of things in that practice that were detailed, too,” Huska said following the skate. “Nobody was pleased with last night, but it’s a chance to look forward now and recognize that some of the things that we worked on today are going to put us in a position to be successful.”

When it comes to putting the team in a position to be successful, it’s hard to overlook the work being done by Jacob Markstrom between the pipes.

In fact, you could argue that Markstrom has been the Flames’ most impactful player through the first eight games of the season.

He pushed aside 32 pucks against the Blues, and per Natural Stat Trick, he enters the weekend tied for fifth in the NHL with 30 high-danger saves (coincidentally, his former Canucks teammate Thatcher Demko also has 30 high-danger stops on the season).

But for Markstrom, the only stat that matters is wins.

And he’s certainly not satisfied with the fact that so far, he’s only been the goaltender of record for one this season.

“I would like to feel that I help the team win games,” Markstrom said after Friday’s up-tempo practice. “It doesn’t matter, you look at the record, you’ve got to win hockey games.

“You look at yesterday, zero goals (against), we (could) take it to overtime and win it there.”

Huska agrees.

"Every night, he’s given us a chance, and that’s what you ask for out of your goaltenders. He’s been really good for us this year,” he said.

The team will get a day to peer over their Heritage Classic surroundings, and get a twirl in on the Commonwealth Stadium ice prior to Sunday’s 5 p.m. puck drop against the Oilers.

The visuals and energy promise to be stunning too, as the Battle of Alberta shifts outside for the first time.

But as much as the game will be a spectacle for players and fans alike, Markstrom knows two valuable points are at stake, against a provincial rival to boot.

It’s not a normal game, it’s a fun experience,” he said. “We need to take everything we can to get the ‘W’ and take it all in, enjoy it, and play to our ability.

“There’s no better way to do it than in front of a big crowd and against Edmonton.”