5 Things - Flames @ Stars

1. Opening Up The Floodgates

It was spoken about in every media availability.

Keep playing the right way and the goals will come.

The Flames, who kicked off this season-long road trip with a 3-1 win in Washington, struggled to find the back of the net for three games. Shut out in both games in Florida, they scored in Raleigh thanks to a Nazem Kadri third period marker, but dropped the game 2-1 in overtime.

The message remained the same. Keep playing the right way, stick to the system, and the tide will turn.

In Philadelphia, the tide didn't just turn. The floodgates opened.

On Tuesday, the Flames jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the span of two minutes during the first period, with Connor Zary striking twice and Kadri picking up his 22nd goal of the year. Yegor Sharangovich rounded out the first period scoring and gave the Flames a 4-2 lead through 20 minutes.

MacKenzie Weegar added the Flames' fifth of the night in the second period and Matt Coronato put the game away with a late third period marker.

"Talked about it this morning so I guess I really do know I'm talking about huh," Kadri joked post-game when asked about the offensive outburst. "We got a little puck luck, a couple tips and deflections, capitalized on some chances, special teams was excellent tonight and that was the difference."

Being able to pick up that win and give the Flames a 2-2-1 record heading into tonight's game definitely lifted the club's spirits but to be able to win with six goals gives everyone an extra boost.

"No doubt about it, for guys to find the back of the net, I think it does a lot for a player’s confidence, especially when you might be squeezing (the stick) a little tighter than normal," Kadri said. "You’ve got to give us credit, we had a great first period, and that was the difference tonight."

Being able to come out with such a strong effort early on was a momentum-builder for the group, giving them something to work off of right away.

"I think the whole bench did," head coach Ryan Huska said when asked if the energy was boosted by Zary's opening goal. "And then when you’ve got the two quick ones right after that, it almost felt like a lot of weight was off their shoulders. Because it’s not a lot of fun, right? When you’re not scoring, it takes a lot of energy out of the room. They want to do what they can to help the team win, and if you’re not scoring goals, we’re not winning. I was happy with the overall game tonight, I thought there was a lot of good players for us."

2. Know Your Enemy

The Dallas Stars are also coming off a victory, downing the New Jersey Devils 4-3 on Tuesday thanks to the late-game heroics of Thomas Harley.

The defenceman, who recently won gold with Canada at the Four Nations Face-Off and has put up eight points since returning to the Stars, scored the game-winner with 4.8 seconds remaining in regulation.

The goal came after the Stars allowed the Devils to get back into the game in the third period, with the visitors scoring twice to erase the 3-1 lead Dallas had heading into the final frame.

"Over a long season you don't want to be doing that every night, but we did some good things to build the 3-1 lead," Stars coach Pete DeBoer told DallasStars.com. "They made us earn it. We found a way like we've done most of the year."

Wyatt Johnston, Ilya Lyubushkin, and Roope Hintz also scored in the win, while Casey DeSmith made 25 saves to pick up his 11th victory this season.

"It was a little closer than we would’ve liked, but at the end of the day we got two points and that’s all that matters," Harley told NHL.com afterwards.

The win gives the Stars a 40-19-2 record with 82 points on the year and they're now six points back of the Central Division-leading Winnipeg Jets, with one game in hand. They've been one of the league's best teams since the calendar flipped to 2025 and are 18-6-1 in their last 25 games.

One of the top-scoring teams in the league, they've been led by veteran Matt Duchene (25 goals, 62 points), Jason Robertson (25 goals, 62 points), and Johnston (22 goals, 57 points).

In net, Jake Oettinger has carried the bulk of the load and has a 29-13-2 record with a 2.44 GAA and a .911 save percentage.

3. Checking In On The Wildcard Race

The Flames head into the game holding the second Wildcard spot in the West with a 29-23-9 record and 67 points through 61 games. The Colorado Avalanche, who have played in 62 games this year, are in the first spot with a 36-24-2 record and 74 points.

The Vancouver Canucks are right behind the Flames, with a 28-22-11 record and 67 points in 61 games, while the St. Louis Blues (30-27-6, 66 points in 63 games), Utah Hockey Club (27-25-9, 63 points in 61 games), and Anaheim Ducks (27-27-7, 61 points in 61 games) are also in the mix for a postseason berth.

In the Pacific Division, the Vegas Golden Knights sit first with a 37-18-6 record and 80 points in 61 games, the Edmonton Oilers are second with a 35-22-4 record and 74 points in 61 games, and the LA Kings hold the final division spot with a 31-20-9 record and 71 points in 60 games.

4. Fast Facts

Jonathan Huberdeau leads the Flames in career scoring against the Stars, with 11 goals and 33 points in 28 games.

There's a few Kelowna Rockets connections in tonight's game. Captains Mikael Backlund and Jamie Benn played together in the 2008-09 season, winning the WHL Championship when they downed the Calgary Hitmen in six games in the final. Kelowna head coach that season? None other than Ryan Huska.

Dan Vladar is one game away from hitting 100 in his NHL career. When he reaches this milestone, he'll become the 13th goal of Czech descent to reach 100 games played in the league. Of the netminder's 99 career games, 94 of them have come with the Flames.

Blake Coleman, born in Plano, Tex., is set to face his childhood team for the 26th time this evening. In his first 25 games against the Stars, he's posted seven goals and 13 points. With 603 games in his career, he's fourth all-time in games played by Texas-born players, trailing Brian Leetch (1205), Tyler Myers (1053), and Seth Jones (840).

The Flames are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games against the Stars.

5. Players To Watch

Flames - Connor Zary

Tuesday's game in Philadelphia saw Zary open up the game with a pair of goals in under two minutes, striking at 7:40 and 9:32 of the first period, and getting himself on the scoresheet for the first time since he suffered a lower-body injury in January that held him out of 15 games. He ended the evening with two points, three shots on net, and one hit in his 15:34 of ice time. The Saskatoon, Sask. native now has 12 goals and 24 points on year.

Zary has faced the Stars four times in his career, scoring one goal and three points with 13 shots on net in those outings.

Stars - Wyatt Johnston

The 21-year-old has been on a tear since returning from the Four Nations Face-Off break, scoring six goals and ten points in his last six games and heads into tonight's tilt on a seven-game point streak. He also heads into the game riding a three-game scoring streak, in which he has five goals.

The Toronto, Ont. product currently sits third in team scoring with 22 goals and 57 points through 61 games this season.