OVERTIME HEARTBREAK

The Flames had been on a full-blown heater at home.
They came into Friday night's tilt with the Sabres having gone 15-1-1 in their last 17 outings at the Scotiabank Saddledome dating back to Jan. 18. In that span, the Flames had outscored their opponents by a 77-30 margin.
But this time around, it was defensive battle and the team's skated to a scoreless draw in regulation.
In extra time, Tage Thompson scored 1:53 in after a stretch pass off the boards went under the stick of Jacob Markstrom as he tried to play it.

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The Flames goalie had been lights out all night, making 33 saves while Dustin Tokarski got the shutout with 24 saves.
The game also marked the 16th annual Canadian Armed Forces Appreciation Night, more on that below.
Calle Jarnkrok made his Flames debut, the first player in franchise history to wear No. 91.
The first Grade-A chance of the game came from ... drum roll ... you guessed it, the team's red-hot first line.
Johnny Gaudreau drove in off the wing got a chip-type shot off with a defender all over him, Tokarski stopping it and then the subsequent rebound chance by Matthew Tkachuk.
Markstrom was called upon later, making a lovely save on on a wide open Jeff Skinner - who has 23 goals in a bounceback season of sorts for him.
Buffalo finished the first with a 7-6 edge in shots.
The Sabres got their second powerplay in the middle stanza and the Flames were aggressive, Tyler Toffoli getting the puck in the Buffalo zone and eventually got off a good shot from a tight angle that Tokarski had to be careful with.
He followed it up an absolutely incredible stop, Andrew Mangiapane faking a shot and feathering a pass to Jarnkrok who looked like he had a sure thing but Tokarski dove across the crease and flashed the leather.
In the third, Tokarski made another incredible save on Tanev who one-timed a pass from Gaudreau in tight.
Gaudreau had a golden chance on a breakaway in the frame but put it high trying to dial in the top far corner.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Shots: CGY 34, BUF 24
Powerplay:CGY 0-1, BUF 0-3
Hits:CGY 23, BUF 17
Face-offs: CGY 51%, BUF 49%
\Scoring chances: CGY 22, BUF 17
\High-danger scoring chances:CGY 7, BUF 10
\According of Natural Stat Trick (5-on-5)*

ONE-TIMERS:

This is the second and final matchup this season between these clubs. The Flames beat the Sabres 5-0 at KeyBank Center back on Nov. 18 ... The Flames are 8-5-3 against their Metropolitan Division opponents this season and 20-7-5 against Eastern Conference opponents. ... Rasmus Andersson is one point away from 100, while fellow blueliner Nikita Zadorov is two shy ... Noah Hanifin is four games from hitting the 500 plateau in his young NHL career.

THEY SAID IT:

THE LINEUP:

Lines
Johnny Gaudreau - Elias Lindholm - Matthew Tkachuk
Blake Coleman - Mikael Backlund - Trevor Lewis
Andrew Mangiapane - Calle Jarnkrok - Tyler Toffoli
Milan Lucic - Sean Monahan - Dillon Dube
Pairings
Oliver Kylington - Chris Tanev
Noah Hanifin - Rasmus Andersson
Nikita Zadorov - Erik Gudbranson
Goaltender
Jacob Markstrom - starter
Dan Vladar

WE SALUTE THE TROOPS:

The Flames welcomed 500 Canadian Armed Forces members and their families to the Scotiabank Saddledome Friday night for the first time since 2019. The evening began with a ceremonial face-off welcoming the Command Team from 1 Canadian Air Division/Canadian Norad Region; Major-General Eric Kenny and Chief Warrant Officer Dan Campbell. Two Search and Rescue Technicians, Sergeant Vincent C. Benoit and Master Corporal Alain Goguen who are both from 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron in Winnipeg, rappelled down with the puck. The national anthems featured performances from the official singing voice of the Flames, George Canyon along with Warrant Officer, David Grenon from the Royal Canadian Air Force Band and a ceremonial flag party form the Calgary Highlanders.
"Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation is pleased to welcome back and honour our Canadian Armed Forces at the Scotiabank Saddledome this year," said CSEC President and Chief Executive Officer, John Bean. "This night is very important for us as it is an opportunity to say thank you and create greater awareness of the sacrifices our service people and their loved ones make. Their dedication and heroism allow us to enjoy the freedom and liberties of our great country, Canada."

INTRODUCING THE FLAMES TV PODCAST

Our Firestarter podcast has officially become theFlamesTV Podcast, and will now be your one-stop shop for all things Flames.
The in-studio interviews with players and staff will continue to be the keystone of this new venture - but on top of that, you will now be able to access every FlamesTV Live Postgame Show immediately after every home game, as well. The program - led by Flames TV host Brendan Parker, and accompanied by either Ryan Dittrick or Flames alumnus Cory Sarich - provides unmatched coverage, including highlights, interviews and analysis live on every digital platform.

Now, we're delivering it straight to your device for your drive home or the commute to work the next morning.
Additionally, the FlamesTV Podcast will be home to some new content properties, including archived 'Twitter Spaces' with myself and Brendan, along with other members of the Flames media on practice days.
But, if you're new to our product and are eager to fill your day with even more Flames news, please consider subscribing. We'd love to have you along for the ride!
The FlamesTV Podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

UP NEXT:

The Flames play a Hockey Night in Canada tilt with the Canucks in Vancouver Saturday, before returning home to host the Sharks at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
Click here for tickets