5 THINGS - FLAMES @ AVALANCHE

FLAMES (27-20-12) @ AVALANCHE (32-19-5)

8:00 p.m. MT | TV: CBC/Sportsnet | RADIO: Sportsnet 960 The FAN

2022-23 Season Series: 1-1-0

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GAME DAY VIDEO
Game Day with Natasha Staniszewski
Pregame Interviews
GAME DAY FEATURES
'It's Special, It's Surreal' - Kadri Returns to COL
Projected Lineup
Say What - 'How You Build a Champion'
STAT PACK
Media Game Notes
Scoring Leaders
2022-23 Head-to-Head Stats
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Leading Scorers:
Flames:
Points - Elias Lindholm & Tyler Toffoli (51)
Goals - Tyler Toffoli (24)
Avalanche:
Points - Nathan MacKinnon (69)
Goals - Mikko Rantanen (37)
Special Teams:
Flames:
PP - 20.2% (22nd) / PK - 81% (13th)
Avalanche:
PP - 23.1% (10th) / PK - 77.6% (19th)
Advanced Stats:
Flames:
Shot Attempts: 57.58% (2nd)
High-Danger Chances: 51.92% (13th)
Avalanche:
Shot Attempts: 50.39% (10th)
High-Danger Chances: 48.98% (20th)
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1. LAST TIME OUT
   No lead is safe.
   A harsh reality that can quickly go from securing two points, to settling for one.
   The Flames suffered that fate on Thursday, dropping a 4-3 overtime decision to the Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena.
   Jakob Pelletier, Jonathan Huberdeau and Mikael Backlund found the back of the net, as the visitors from the Stampede City held a 3-1 lead headed into the final 20 minutes, before Vegas stormed back.
   The Golden Knights held the Flames to just one shot in the third and scored twice in just over seven minutes to force OT. Just 42 seconds in, Alex Pietrangelo scored the winner.
   "We need these points," Jonathan Huberdeau said after the game. "We're up 3-1 in a game and in the third period, they come back. We know OT hasn't been our greatest strength this year, so we've got to find a way, somehow, and keep that lead.
   "I feel we got the lead, 3-1, and stopped playing offence. We can't do that. We've got to keep playing and score the fourth goal so we get a bigger lead."
   The Flames will now look to bounce back, with a matchup against the defending cup champion Avalanche. It's the third and final time the clubs will meet, both with a victory in their back pocket.
   Currently 1-1 on the road swing so far, big points are on the line with the Flames sitting three points back of a playoff spot.
   "We need these two points. We need to catch these teams ahead of us," Huberdeau said. "We have to give a little bit more but now we focus on Colorado."

2. KNOW YOUR ENEMY
The Avs were in action last night in Winnipeg and cruised to a 5-1 victory in the first game of a back-to-back.
Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, J.T. Compher, Bowen Byram and Matt Nieto all found the back of the net, while Alexander Georgiev got the start, making 26 saves.
MacKinnon scored just 19 seconds into the game on a breakaway for his 20th. Mason Appleton scored the lone Jets goal two minutes later but from there, it was all Colorado with four unanswered goals.
"Obviously, a good start to the game," Avs head coach Jared Bednar said afterward. "We were skating, we were energized. We had some time off his week to get some practice time, some rest time and that benefitted us early in the game.
"Just really good discipline, structurally sound and made them earn all of their chances. I thought we did a nice job in the defending side of it and moved the puck pretty efficiently. Turned out to be a pretty good performance from our group."
Rantanen's marker was his 37th on the year, a new career high, and is fourth in the league in goals.
With the win, the Avs are now 5-0-1 in their last six games, just three points behind the Stars for first in the Central Division with two games in hand.
"Anytime during the year you want all four lines, all D and goaltenders to be bonded and pushing in the right direction," Compher said. "I think we've been doing that lately."
### 3. FAST FACTS
PELLETIER'S PRODUCTION:Jakob Pelletier scored his third career goal Thursday in Vegas, and now has goals in back-to-back games. Pelletier also recorded an assist on Jonathan Huberdeau's tally, giving him his second straight two-point game and leads the Flames with four points (2G, 2A) so far on this road trip. He is also the first Flames rookie to record consecutive multi-point games since 1988-89.
LETHAL LINDHOLM:Elias Lindholm currently has 198 goals and sits just two tallies away from 200 in his NHL career. Lindholm is looking to become the sixth active Swedish-born skater to reach the milestone, and the fifth from the 2013 draft class. He's scored 134 of his 198 goals as a member of the Flames and currently has the fourth-most goals by a Swedish-born player in Flames franchise history. Only Mikael Backlund (180), Hakan Loob (193), and Kent Nilsson (229) have more.
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4. PLAYERS TO WATCH
   Flames - Mikael Backlund
   Mama Mia, Backs is on fire!
   The Swede has four goals in four straight games and also has a team-high 17 points over the Flames last 13 games (5G, 12A). Backlund's four-game goal streak is the longest by a Flame this season, and the third time he has recorded goals in four or more straight games in his career - five games in 2016-17 and four games in 2014-15.

Avalanche - Nathan MacKinnon
With a two-point night against the Jets Friday night, MacKinnon extended his multi-point streak to six games, picking up 14 points (6G, 8A) in that span.
The Avs' leading point-getter reached the 20-goal mark for the eighth time in his career and has been firing away with 31 shots in his past five games.
###

5. MILESTONE WATCH
   Blake Coleman is one goal away from 100
   Elias Lindholm is two goals away from 200
   Nazem Kadri is two games away from 800
   Mikael Backlund is three assists away from 300