Say What - 'He Was Awesome Again'

Jacob Markstrom on having the dads, brothers and mentors around this week:

“It was good. Everyone has been energized and it's been good to spend time with the dads and brothers. The Flames organization has done a great job to keep them busy and also made it really smooth for them. Kudos to the organization, it's always great.”

On the team’s three-game winning streak:

“We can't go .500 anymore. To make up ground and catch teams, we've got to string a few together. This was a good trip and we've got to go home and charge the batteries tomorrow and then get back to work.”

On the confidence growing in the dressing room:

“I think it's good. We're never out of a game and our starts have been really good. We're getting goals from a lot of different people and today the powerplay got us a huge goal, and the penalty kill did a great job.”

Blake Coleman on the good luck the dads brought them this week:

"It's big points - especially with a six-game homestand looming. I think it's a great opportunity. We're putting ourselves in a good spot to push here. Similar game. Marky, big saves. Special teams were good. Dads are red-hot, man. They may not be going home. They might be sticking with us."

On what this globe-trotting seven-game stretch says about the group:

"We've got a resilient team. We've got a lot of guys stepping up playing really good hockey. Really, we've got everybody going right now, which is good. It's the way we've got to play. Marky's been himself, he's been red-hot for us. It's a great response these last three games, I thought, after two tough road losses (in Philadelphia and Chicago) and losses that could have set us back mentally. Everyone's been in a really good spirits and the confidence is growing higher and higher every day."

Mikael Backlund on finishing up the Fathers Trip undefeated:

“Really good week. The dads came in for the Ottawa game, too, so we're 3-and-oh for them. They brought us a lot of energy and excitement. It's a bummer a lot of them are going home (laughs).”

On getting the two points in a tough building:

“It was a huge win by us. We had a really good start again. Then, it got a little tighter throughout the game and wasn't maybe our best second and third period, but we found a way - we grinded - and Marky was played so well for us tonight. Really big win for us.”

Head Coach Ryan Huska on gutting out the win:

“It wasn't a picture-perfect game from us by any means, but this is not an easy place to win games - even with some of the guys they were missing from their lineup tonight. Scoring early helped us again and then - unfortunately - we had to ride Marky again, but fortunately, he was awesome again tonight.”

On another fabulous night from Markstrom:

“When you see him the way he's been over the last little while, you know that not many shots are going to get past him and unfortunately we made a few mistakes on the goal we ended up giving up - and he almost made that save, too, which is crazy to think about. He was excellent for us tonight.”

On the challenging, but successful seven-game stretch to begin 2024:

“It's a lot of travel. They've done a good job. I thought we looked tired with some of the mistakes, the turnovers we had tonight. This is the first time I could probably say that. So, it will be nice to get home, give them tomorrow (off), actually have a practice day and then get ready for Arizona.”

On closing the gap in the wild-card race:

“We're in a spot where we're close (to the final playoff spot) and we have to keep pushing, so every point that's on the table is important for us right now.”