5 THINGS - FLAMES VS. CANUCKS

FLAMES (23-12-3) vs. CANUCKS (18-18-4)

US

The Flames are coming off a 4-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday. Johnny Gaudreau led the way offensively with his fourth-career hat trick, while David Rittich had a stellar outing, stopping 35 shots and moving to 12-4-2 on the year. Sean Monahan assisted on all three of Gaudreau's goals. "He wants to be a difference-maker," Monahan said of his running mate. "Playing with him long enough now, it's contagious. Going out there every shift, you want to make something happen. A lot of the time the puck's on his stick. It's pretty special to play with him." … Mark Jankowskiscored the Flames' 10th shorthanded goal of the season at 15:39 of the third period, providing an important insurance marker in what was a one-goal game at the time. … The Flames have now scored 10 shorthanded goals, one behind the Arizona Coyotes for the NHL lead. … With the win, the Flames now lead the Pacific Division by two points over the San Jose Sharks, and are only one point back of the Jets for first overall in the Western Conference. … On Friday, the Flames re-assigned forward Alan Quine to the Stockton Heat. … Travis Hamonic (maintenance) did not practice on Friday, but is expected to play tonight. … The Flames had a bit of quirky schedule coming out of the Christmas break. NHL rules prohibit team functions (i.e. Travel) on Boxing Day, so the Flames gathered at the airport for a 6:30 a.m. departure from YYC Thursday. The unusual, 18-hour work day was a grind on the body, but after picking up the two points in Winnipeg and getting a full group session in on Friday, head coach Bill Peters is hoping for some additional sharpness from the troupe here tonight. "Guys were trying to do the right thing, but it's a tough ask for a guy to go out after four days off, travel, and get in there and try and be at his peak performance," he said. "Now the trick is to get back to that level as quick as we can, and we want to get it done by (Saturday)."

THEM

The Canucks have more wins in their last 10 games than any other team in the Western Conference not named the Jets. At 7-2-1, they've climbed their way back into the playoff race and are now only one point back of the Dallas Stars for the second and final wild-card berth. The Canucks, like the Flames, are coming off a road win Thursday, as they doubled up the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 on the strength of four first-period goals. Elias Pettersson and Antoine Roussel each had a goal and assist, and goaltender Jacob Markstrom made 30 saves. Tyler Motte and Brock Boeser added singles, and Nikolay Goldobin had two helpers as the Canucks moved back to .500 (18-18-4) for the first time in six weeks. "From Day 1, we've talked about how we want to play, we want to be faster and harder to play against, and we wanted to play meaningful games down the stretch," head coach Travis Green told NHL.com. "For us, it's about developing our young guys and, obviously, winning. We want to win, and we're preaching it." … The Canucks could have some reinforcements back in the lineup tonight. Former Flame Sven Baertschisuffered a concussion back on Oct. 24 and has missed the past 30 games. He took a regular spin on Vancouver's third line with Markus Granlund and Josh Leivo during Friday's practice at the Stampede Corral. Defenceman Troy Stecher, who's missed the past three games, is also working toward a return from a concussion, and was paired with Ben Hutton at practice. … Brandon Sutter, meanwhile, has missed the last 27 games with a shoulder injury, but is not quite ready to return. He is, however, travelling with the team on its current six-game road trip, and should be cleared to play at some point on the voyage.

US VS. THEM

This is the third of five meetings, and the second to be played at the Scotiabank Saddledome this season. The two clubs last met on Oct. 6 in the Flames' home opener. Elias Lindholm scored twice and added one assist, and four others had multi-point nights en route to a 7-4 home for the homeside. Matthew Tkachuk led all skaters with four apples, and Mike Smith made 16 saves. … The Flames have 10 wins in their last 15 dates with the Canucks, and are 88-52-15 all-time against them at home.

THIS, THAT & THE OTHER

THIS: With his hat trick on Thursday, Johnny Gaudreau became the 10th player in franchise history to record 50 points before the team's 40th game of the season. Jarome Iginla was the last to do it, during the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons. … THAT: James Nealleads the Flames with 10 shots in goal in his last two games (five each). … THE OTHER:The Flames are the only team in the NHL that have four players with 40 or more points this season: Johnny Gaudreau (51), Sean Monahan (43), Matthew Tkachuk(42), and Elias Lindholm (41). The Flames are also the only team in the NHL that have five players that are scoring at a point per game or better (those four and Mark Giordano).

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Flames - Mark Jankowski
Jankowski scored the all-important insurance marker with a great shot, shorthanded, late in the third period the other night in Winnipeg. Three of his five goals this year have come while a man short, putting him second in the NHL in that regard, one behind Arizona Coyotes forward Michael Grabner. 'Janko' tied a season high with three shots on goal in the victory, and was tied for second on the Flames with a 57% (4-3) share of the high-danger scoring chances, all in only 14:48 of ice time.
Canucks - Elias Pettersson
Pettersson is the runaway leader in the rookie scoring race. The 20-year-old leads all first-year players with 18 goals (no other rookie has more than 10) and 38 points. He has two five-point games and six game-winning goals, and enters tonight's game with 16 points (5G, 11A) in his last 11 games.