5 Things - Flames @ Oilers

1. NazHIM

In this edition of ‘Pics That Go Hard’…

Swag.

It was an eruption not heard in some time at the Scotiabank Saddledome, as Nazem Kadri – who unleashed a hot-blooded, primal roar of his own in the moments after – scored the electric OT winner Thursday as the Flames knocked off the Boston Bruins 3-2.

The goal capped a delirious, edge-of-your-seat 3-on-3 period, with Jacob Markstrom serving up a hat-trick of 10-bell stops off some of the game’s top snipers, before Kadri took off on a 3-on-1, kept, and fired glove side on reigning Vezina Trophy winner, Linus Ullmark.

Markstrom finished with 31 saves and Kadri added an assist in regulation to give him 50 points on the year, along with a six-point cushion on Blake Coleman in the team scoring race.

“I was exhausted by the end of that one,” Kadri laughed. “Just an absolute track meet. Probably fun for you guys to watch, I’m sure; fun for us to watch, too, but nice to come out on the proper side of that one. Marky made some great saves for us, gave us the opportunity to go cash in."

Kadri, in particular, sure knows how to make bank these days. 

What No. 91 has done this year as a leader for rookies Connor Zary and Martin Pospisil is admirable. 

But doing that, while maintaining his own elite standards – and pushing himself to become even more of a threat offensively – is the mark of a true great. 

“He's a competitor and when games are on the line, he's - I would assume from (the time he was) a young man, he's been at his best,” said Head Coach Ryan Huska. “He's one of those guys that hates to lose more than he likes to win. So, that's why I think you see him elevate his play.

“He's used the word 'coaching,' at times. I think he feels like he has a big responsibility now. When you look at his year, he's been consistently one of our best players, for sure, with the way he's approached this season for us and it's really great to see him work to bring people along.

“Because that's what leadership is about.”

Oliver Kylington opened the scoring early in the first period, giving him goals in two straight, while Martin Pospisil rounded out the offence for the Flames, who will bring a two-game winning streak – against two of the league’s top dogs – into tonight’s Battle of Alberta.

2. On Your ‘Mark,’ Get Set…

How good has Jacob Markstrom been this season?

Among goalies with over 1,000 minutes played (ie. the 'starters'), Markstrom ranks first with a high-danger save percentage of .882 according to NaturalStatTrick – well clear of Ullmark, who the Flames got the better of on Thursday, and Vezina frontrunners Connor Hellebuyck and Thatcher Demko.

And when it comes to MoneyPuck’s Goals Saved Above Expected – another stat that helps level the playing field and cut through the noise of team success vs. goalie performance – Markstrom sits third with 18.1. Hellebuyck is first at 26.6 and Demko, second, with 21.0.

Here’s how Markstrom’s teammates described their Swedish star and what he means to this group following Thursday’s victory:

Head Coach Ryan Huska:

“Everything. He’s elite. He is an elite goaltender. He gives us a chance to win every time he’s in the net. ... We think the world of him. We really do.”

Kadri:

“He's the backbone. He gives us an opportunity to win and that's what all great teams have. They have a guy in the crease that makes some timely saves and to win a championship, to win playoff games, to win a playoff series, you need timely saves and timely goals, and we saw both of those tonight.”

Kylington:

“Like Naz said, he’s the backbone of this team. He’s our best player. He bails us out. You saw that in the second and in the third and in overtime. You don’t win many games in the league if you don’t have a goalie like that. For us, we love him. He’s a big part of our team.”

3. Fast Facts

So Swede:

Markstrom now has 211 career wins, passing Tommy Salo and claiming sole possession of second place in all-time victories among Swedish puck-stoppers. Henrik Lundqvist – who won a staggering 459 games and was part of the 2023 Hall of Fame class – holds down the top spot. 

“I grew up watching (Salo) play and I've got a few more to Lundqvist, so that's the next guy you're chasing,” Markstrom said. 

A Battle By The Numbers:

This will be the 262nd installment of the Battle of Alberta, with the Flames holding a 129-108-24 record over their provincial rivals. One hundred of those games have been one-goal games or ties (82 wins, 18 ties) with Calgary owning 45 of the 82 wins. Jarome Iginla is the Flames' all-time goals leader against the Oilers with 34 tallies, while Al MacInnis sets the mark for points with 89 in 75 games against Edmonton during his time in Calgary.

The Flames are 0-2 this season against the Oilers – a stat that doesn’t sit well with two-time Cup winner Blake Coleman:

“If you want to go to the playoffs and go on a run in the playoffs, it's a team you're most likely going to face at some point,” he said. “It's time for us to start winning games in this rivalry. It's been frustrating losing to a team like this that we feel we can beat. ... If we want to go anywhere meaningful, then this is the team we've got to get by.”

4. Know Your Enemy

The Oilers were in action last night, dropping a 4-2 decision to the Wild despite outshooting Minnesota 43-20, including a stunning 23-5 margin in the third period.

Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman (with his team-leading 35th) supplied the offence for Edmonton, while Calvin Pickard made 16 stops.

Connor McDavid had two assists, giving him 16 helpers in his last half-dozen outings. However, the Oilers captain struck iron on three separate occasions, and is now without a goal in his last eight.

The Oilers were far and away the better team for the final 30 minutes, but a listless first period allowed the visitors to build up a 1-0 lead before the locals could find their legs.

"I thought it was a weird one," McDavid told reporters after the game. "I thought it was as flat a first period as we've had. Credit to us for getting ourselves going in the second; I thought we were able to generate a little bit of momentum. I thought the PK helped with that. And I thought our best period was our third period, and we gave up three there. I thought we were able to build a game and give ourselves a chance. Just didn't come through."

The Oilers finished the night 2-for-2 on the powerplay and 4-for-4 on the penalty-kill.

After rattling off 16 straight wins leading into the all-star break, the Oilers have gone 4-4-1 since and have not given up fewer than three goals in a single game in the month of February.

5. Players To Watch

Flames - Oliver Kylington

If you ask the blueliner himself, he’ll tell you he’s felt perfectly comfortable from the moment he stepped back in the Flames lineup.

But with each passing game, the confidence looks to be growing, too.

The 26-year-old had a phenomenal outing vs. Boston, highlighted by his first-period strike that put the Flames up 1-0. But it was his 200-foot game, the shot blocks and even some time on the PK, that showed why Kylington is more than just a great set of wheels.

He’s the full package.

“When he's skating and joining the rush like that, you know he's where he should be,” Huska said. “He's an elite skater and we have confidence that if there was a mistake to be had, he would probably be the first guy back, which is important. But he doesn't take unnecessary risks when he jumps and that's something he's learned over time. When we talked when he was younger in Stockton, he was basically a forward. But now he's learned how to play the right way, where he tries to join at the right times – not at times when it may put our team in the right situation.”

Kylington logged 15:20 and was credited with three shots on four attempts, along with a team-leading three blocked shots against the Bruins.

“And, if I'm not mistaken, he blocked a shot from Pastrnak, I think,” Huska said. “Not the easiest guy to block shots on.

“His game continues to grow. The one thing in the past when we've used Oliver to kill penalties, we like him there because he has the ability to close on people really quickly. So, when they're not expecting it, he's right on top of them, so he creates a lot of loose pucks.”

Oilers - Corey Perry

The veteran has fit seamlessly with his new team, putting up five points (3G, 2A) in 10 games, while bringing that villainous play-style that draws the ire of his opponents.