5 THINGS - FLAMES VS. PREDATORS

FLAMES (37-27-17) vs. PREDATORS (40-31-8)

7:30 p.m. MT | TV: Sportsnet West/One | RADIO: Sportsnet 960 The FAN

2022-23 Season Series: 0-2-0

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GAME DAY VIDEO
Game Day with Brendan Parker
Pregame Interviews
GAME DAY FEATURES
'Like a Game 7'
Projected Lineup
Say What - 'We're In It Together'
STAT PACK
Media Game Notes
Scoring Leaders
2022-23 Head-to-Head Stats
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Leading Scorers:
Flames:
Points - Tyler Toffoli (73)
Goals - Toffoli (34)
Predators:
Points - Roman Josi (59)
Goals - Matt Duchene (22)
Special Teams:
Flames:
PP - 20.2% (19th) / PK - 82.1% (9th)
Predators:
PP - 18.0% (27th) / PK - 82.0% (10th)
Advanced Stats:
Flames:
Shot Attempts: 57.16% (2nd)
High-Danger Chances: 53.52% (10th)
Predators:
Shot Attempts: 47.54% (24th)
High-Danger Chances: 47.57% (22nd)
###

1. THE 4-1-1
   A month's worth of must-win games have led to this moment - the most crucial one yet.
   It is, in effect, a do-or-die night in downtown Calgary.
   It's time to see what they're made of.
   The Flames are coming off a 3-2 shootout loss to the Canucks on Saturday, putting them one point back of the Winnipeg Jets and their 91-point bounty, with two games to play.
   "Sloppy start, sloppy first period," said Rasmus Andersson, who was heavily involved in Saturday's thrilling, end-to-end overtime session. "In the second and third, I thought we were the better team.
   "We had some long o-zone shifts and were creating some looks, but (Thatcher) Demko was kind of standing on his head. Second, third and overtime, we probably deserved to get that extra point, but it doesn't happen. It's frustrating, but we move on."
   Elias Lindholm and Nazem Kadri scored in the front of the third period, quickly erasing a 2-0 deficit and breathing new life into a season on the brink. But Demko, indeed, was the difference, preventing the Flames from getting that all-important third one and finishing with 41 stops.
   Here's where that leaves us: The Jets are also in action this evening, hosting the San Jose Sharks at 5 p.m. MT. If Winnipeg pulls out a victory, a Flames loss in any fashion would officially eliminate them from postseason contention.
   And to think ... The Flames were \this\ close to putting just a bit more heat on the Jets, but could never pull away on the west coast.
   "We were generating, generating, but Demko made some highlight-reel saves," Andersson said. "It's tough, obviously, with the situation we're in."
   One of the 10-bellers came hot off the stick of Lindholm, who looked to bury on a 2-on-1 with Blake Coleman, but was left stunned when Demko splayed out and flashed the leather, snaring what looked to be a sure-fire lamp-lighter. While they eventually did solve him - that save, in particular, was a sign of the times on this night.
   That was one of Lindholm's team-leading eight shots on goal, which tied a career high. The pivot also rang iron, clanking a shot off the short-side post in the first period, that is not reflected in that bloated bounty.
   "Tough first period, (but) the last two periods, we were dominating," Lindholm said. We had a lot of chances to score some more goals and I think we could have put this game earlier than what happened out there.
   "Tough loss.
   "Just got to re-group, go again on Monday and Wednesday, and anything could happen."

2. KNOW YOUR ENEMY
In a game with massive playoff implications, the Predators dropped a 2-0 decision to the Jets on Saturday in Winnipeg.
The Preds - who entered the night with wins in three of their last four - were outshot 38-28, including 20-5 in a lopsided middle stanza.
Mark Scheifele and Neal Pionk supplied the offence for the homeside, while 2020 Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck recorded his fourth shutout of the season.
The Preds now sit three points back of the Jets in the wild-card race, and two back of the Flames with a game in hand. (The Flames, however, currently control the tie-breaker in the event of a stalemate between the two teams.)
"They were on top of people and didn't give us a lot of time and space," Predators Head Coach John Hynes told NHL.com. "But there were multiple opportunities where I thought we just threw pucks away and then we got half-iced in the game. So, that was the biggest lesson coming out of this game, where we need to do a better job against Calgary on Monday."
The pesky Preds have been a resilient bunch here in the late stages of the season, earning wins over some of the league's top dogs, including the Golden Knights, Hurricanes and record-setting Bruins in the last 10 days alone. Nashville is 10-8-2 since the trade deadline, when then-GM David Poile traded away Nino Niederreiter, Tanner Jeannot, Mattias Ekholm and Mikael Granlund.
Combine that with a flurry of injuries to key people, including captain Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen, Matt Duchene, Mark Borowiecki and more, and it's remarkable how so many young players have risen to the occasion to help keep the playoff dream alive.
Sophomore pivot Tommy Novak is at the top of the list, scoring 17 goals and 41 points in 48 games this year after being recalled from the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals. The 25-year-old enters tonight's game with a team-leading seven points (4G, 3A) in his last five outings.
### 3. FAST FACTS
CONFERENCE CALL:
The Flames have a record of 10-9-4 against Central Division opponents this season and are 25-15-8, overall, against the West.
QUICK HITS:
Tyler Toffoli recorded an assist on Saturday to give him six points (3G, 3A) in his last five games. Noah Hanifin also had an assist to give him three points in his last three games, and the second-most points he's ever had in a single season, only trailing last year's career-best campaign (48).
DID YOU KNOW?
Nikita Zadorov's 11 goals are the most among Russian-born defencemen in the NHL this season, with Mikhail Sergachev (9) currently trailing him by two tallies. Zadorov currently has the fifth-most goals among all active Russian-born blueliners (38).
Stick tap to Flames Public Relations Coordinator Jordan Bay for compiling these notes.
Follow him and the Flames PR team @NHLFlamesPR on Twitter for more.
### 4. PLAYERS TO WATCH
Flames - Elias Lindholm
What more could be said?
Lindholm was the driving force on offence in Vancouver and will need to be again tonight if the Flames hope to prolong their season. He enters the night with 22 goals and 64 points this year.
"Played a lot of minutes," Head Coach Darryl Sutter said of Lindholm's 20:05 the other night. "He was out there for a lot of faceoffs, scored the goal early in the third to get us back in it, penalty kill … Involved in all parts of the game. I thought the line was really, really good."

Predators - Juuse Saros
How does a team survive with all those injuries and after off-loading at the deadline? Well, having one of the best goalies in the world certainly helps.
Saros has been a world-beater for the Preds, posting a .923 save percentage and a 2.49 goals-against average, with one shutout, since the deadline. He's been particularly hot of late, recording no less than a .947 save percentage in five of his last six starts.
"Saros played amazing," Winnipeg forward Mark Scheifele said following Saturday's high-stakes tilt. "He's one of the best goalies in the world for a reason and he kept them in it. It was obviously good to get those two (goals) and it would've been nice to make it a little less close, but when you play against a good goalie it makes it tough."
### 5. QUOTABLE
Darryl Sutter's appraisal following the shootout loss to the Canucks:
"I think Vancouver came out flying in the first period. I thought we played a decent period and the (short-handed goal) could have killed us. Soft play. We slowly took over in a lot of areas and then we couldn't solve Demko. Fought back. Couldn't ask for much more than that.
"I would say we dominated the second half of the game."