5 THINGS - FLAMES VS. BLACKHAWKS

FLAMES (8-5-1) vs. BLACKHAWKS (6-5-3)

US

The Flames are hitting their stride with three consecutive wins and points in four straight, and currently sit second in the Pacific Division with 17 points entering Saturday's action. … The Flames are coming off an impressive, come-from-behind victory on Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche - a game in which the homeside overcame a 4-1, third-period deficit with five unanswered goals to emerge with a 6-5 triumph. Mikael Backlund, Elias Lindholm, Sean Monahan, James Neal, Mark Giordano and Michael Frolik supplied the offence, while Mike Smith made 21 saves to record his fifth win of the campaign. … Giordano, meanwhile, had a career night, posting four points (1G, 3A) to lead the Calgary comeback. The skipper now has 15 points (2G, 13A) on the year and trails Toronto's Mike Rielly by only one point for the league lead in scoring among defencemen. … David Rittich will get the start in goal. The 26-year-old has a 3-1-0 record, a 2.08 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage in six appearances. ... Following tonight's game, the Flames hit the road for three straight, beginning Wednesday against the Anaheim Ducks.

THEM

The Blackhawks are finishing up a three-game, western-Canadian road trip that, so far, has not been kind to them. The Hawks have lost the first two by a combined score of 8-2, and are losers of four straight overall after beginning the year 6-2-2. The Hawks did get a strong effort the other night in Edmonton, firing 40 shots - including 31 in the opening 40 minutes - at Oilers goalie Mikko Koskinen, but the rookie netminder stood tall, stopping them all for his first NHL shutout. … With 43 goals on the year - the fifth-most in the NHL - the Hawks, like the Flames, have little trouble packing the net. Keeping them out, however, has been a glaring issue, even with the two-time Jennings Trophy winner Corey Crawford back between the pipes. Crawford, who missed nearly 10 months due to a concussion, won three of his first four starts and looked to be returning to form. But after allowing 10 goals in his last two starts, the 33-year-old has fallen back to .500, sporting a 2.72 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.

US VS. THEM

This is the first of three meetings between these two teams. The season series will continue on Dec. 2 and conclude on Jan. 7, with both games taking place at the United Center in Chicago. … The Flames won all three meetings with the Hawks last year, all by just one goal, and with two needing overtime. … Johnny Gaudreau led the Flames offensively, scoring six points in the three-game set. In 11 career games against the Blackhawks, Gaudreau is running at a point per game pace, recording three goals (one game winner) and eight helpers.

THIS, THAT & THE OTHER

THIS: With five goals in the final frame Thursday, the Flames extended their NHL lead with 24 third-period goals, and now have a +14 differential in as many games (also an NHL high). THAT: With his career high four points in Thursday's victory, Mark Giordano now trails Paul Reinhart (1979-80 - 1987-88) by only five points for 12th all-time in franchise history. THE OTHER: With the win over the Avalanche, the Flames are now 5-0 when Sean Monahan has two-or-more points in a game this season. Monahan has 65 multi-point games in his career and the Flames have a record of 56-8-1-0 in those contests.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Flames - Elias Lindholm
With a team-leading nine goals, Lindholm is more than halfway to his career high of 17, with 68 games left. Lindholm, 23, is on a four-game point streak, with three tallies and two helpers, and has been constant threat on the powerplay, with his six of his 14 points attained with the man-advantage this season. Lindholm has also been one of the Flames' better possession players, with the team's fourth-best Corsi-For percentage among forwards (53.4), behind only Mikael Backlund, Matthew Tkachuk and Michael Frolik.
Blackhawks - Alex DeBrincat
DeBrincat burst onto the scene last year with plenty of fanfare following a stunning season with the OHL's Erie Otters. The 39th pick in the 2016 Draft, DeBrincat played in all 82 regular-season games with the Blackhawks, amassing 28 goals and 52 points, and has followed that up with a roaring start to the 2018-19 campaign. In 14 games, the 20-year-old has eight goals and 14 points, and is currently playing top-line minutes with Jonathan Toews and Brandon Saad.