CALGARY – Hands up all those who figured the Flames would be one of the NHL’s hottest teams after the trade deadline.
Hands up all those in Calgary who wanted that.
Didn’t think so.
A 7-3 shellacking of the last-place Canucks Saturday extended the Flames’ point streak to six games, giving them an unlikely 7-4-1 record since they exchanged MacKenzie Weegar and Nazem Kadri for a bevy of futures, and a few veterans.
Two of those vets are leading the charge for the Flames, including Olli Maatta, whose goal and assist Saturday gave him ten points in his first dozen games as a Flame.
Pretty impressive for a guy who had just one assist in 22 outings with Utah this year.
Ryan Strome, who was the 13th forward in Anaheim, also had a two-point night and has three goals and nine points as a Flame, equaling his 33-game total with the Ducks.
The team’s scoring woes all season seem to have been solved of late, with franchise pillars Matt Coronato and Matvei Gridin both on five-game point streaks.
Morgan Frost and Matt Coronato both had a goal and two assists Saturday, giving them nine points in their last 12, putting them one point up on Joel Farabee, Blake Coleman and Gridin’s in that span. Captain Mikael Backlund is just one point behind them
Zayne Parekh has also chipped in, firing a dandy home Saturday on the power play to give him his first multi-point game and two goals in his last three.
As much as the fans at the Saddledome loved every minute of the team’s latest win Saturday, grabbing 11 of 12 points during the team’s homestand has catapulted the team from second-last in the standings to fourth-last.
It’s not lost on Flames fans that this unlikely streak is costing their team valuable draft lottery balls.
Moving three points up on Chicago and the Rangers with their latest surge, the Flames still sit three points back of St. Louis, Florida and San Jose, who all have at least one game in hand on the Flames.
We’ll mention it only because it’s novel to point out, the Flames are now seven points out of the second wild-card spot.
The Flames’ shocking resilience will be put to the test Monday in Denver, where they kick off a tough six-game roadie which could bring the team back down to earth.
After Denver, the Flames visit Vegas, Anaheim, Dallas, Denver (yes, again), and Seattle.
They’ll then wrap up the season at home against Utah, Colorado (yes, again), and Los Angeles.
Newbie likely on the way
Sportsnet has learned the Flames sent two front office types to Loveland, Colo. over the weekend with an eye on inking Cornell centre Jonathan Castagna to a contract if his season were to come to an end in the NCAA playoffs. Indeed, it did on Friday night, opening the door for the forward acquired in the MacKenzie Weegar trade to forego his senior season for a chance to turn pro. He said several weeks ago he was open to signing in Calgary, where the team could use his six-foot-two, 200-pound frame and skillset moving forward. He will very likely be signed in time to join the Flames one hour down the road in Denver Sunday.
Another newbie makes debut
Brennan Othmann made his Flames debut, playing on the fourth line with Tyson Gross and Adam Klapka. The 23-year-old winger, who was picked 16th overall by the Rangers in 2021, was acquired by the Flames as part of a trade deadline day deal for Flames prospect Jacob Battaglia. Othmann, who had just one goal and two helpers over 42 games with the Rangers over three years, has been much more prolific in the AHL, where he has 90 points in 130 games. He finished the night with a nice setup on Adam Klapka's goal.
Fight makes history
As part of a feisty first period between two age-old rivals, six-foot-eight Adam Klapka and six-foot-nine Curtis Douglas dropped the gloves for what Sportsnet Stats reported is tied for the tallest fight in NHL history. They tied the mark set by six-foot-nine Zdeno Chara and six-foot-eight Steve McKenna, who fought three times between 2001 and 2004. For what it’s worth, Klapka and Dougles battled to a draw.
Challenging times
With no less than five goals overturned by opposing coach’s challenges on their six-game homestand, the Flames finally managed to have the roles reversed. The Flames challenged a first-period Brock Boeser goal, which was preceded by Victor Mancini bowling Parekh into Dustin Wolf. Video officials ruled Mancini’s actions prevented the netminder from having any chance at making a save during the goalmouth scramble. The Flames are now four-for-seven on coach’s challenges this season, while opponents are a perfect seven-for-seven when challenging Flames goals.
Veteran done for the year
The Flames played without Joel Hanley, with Ryan Huska announcing earlier in the day that the 34-year-old defenceman wouldn’t return this season due to an upper-body injury. Hanley was seen favouring his hand after blocking a shot against Anaheim on Thursday. A steadying force all year long for a revamped blue line constantly in flux, he has one more year left on his contract.
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