5 Things - Flames vs. Avalanche

1. Through The Looking Glass

Lewis Carroll might term it 'curiouser and curiouser.'

But it's not Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, it's the Western Conference wild-card race!

And another chapter is set to play out on Scotiabank Saddledome ice - between the two wild-card holders, no less - when the Avalanche pay the first of their two visits this season to Calgary to face the Flames. GET TICKETS

And what a story that could play out. Both teams have plenty on the line, as Colorado and Calgary play their penultimate contests before the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

The Flames sit tied for that final wild-card berth with the Canucks, a union that's sure to take twists and turns reminiscent of a B.C. Interior highway over the next couple of months.

But why not start your Friday with the upper hand!

That's the goal for Calgary head coach Ryan Huska, who has seen an injection of energy into his lineup in the form of former Flyers Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost.

Both have already opened their Flames accounts - Farabee scored his first in Calgary colours Tuesday night - and both are picking things up quickly in their new town, according to the bench boss.

"I think they have an idea on everything," Huska explained Wednesday. "But like, meetings we had this morning, some of the language that we use, some of the reinforcement clips that we use, that’s where they’re going to learn a lot, and I think they’re really going to understand what we’re going to get across. The first couple days, when they’re here, they’re getting a crash course in everything us.

"Now, it’s about really paying attention, and trying to understand the little details of what we try to do. And if they have questions at that time, it’s a great opportunity for us to try and create that dialogue."

And they're a pair of players worth paying attention to.

The duo affectionately known as 'Frostbee' are firm friends, and so far they've brought veteran savvy to their new climes - something Flames fans haven't necessarily seen from a new addition to the lineup over the past year and a half.

And Huska has every intention of incorporating the pair into his group's special teams; Frost had 3:47 of powerplay time Tuesday against the Leafs, while Farabee earned 75 seconds of short-handed ice-time.

"Right now we look more at Farabee to be a guy we can use in that area," Huska said of his penalty-kill. "Morgan, right now, is a guy that we look to really incorporate heavily into the powerplay side of things, but I think as we get to know him a little bit more, there’s always potential.

"He can win some face-offs, which is always important for us. And I do feel like he has good defensive instincts. I think you have to have that, coming from John (Tortorella), and he has that.

"So it’s something that we will entertain, but right now, we see Farabee a little bit more in that (penalty-killing) role, and Frost more in the powerplay role."

Tonight's contest is also the Flames' 13th annual 'Hockey Talks' night, an evening focusing on mental health awareness and supporting mental health resources. READ MORE HERE

CLICK HERE FOR HOCKEY TALKS STORY WITH MACKENZIE WEEGAR

During the game, on the concourse at section 226, fans will be able to purchase Mystery Pucks for $20. Each puck is signed by a member of the Flames, and all proceeds from the mystery puck sales will be directed to the United Way of Calgary in support of mental health programming.

2. Know Your Enemy

Tonight's contest marks game two in a stretch of five consecutive outings away from home for Colorado - a span bi-sected by the 4 Nations Face-Off.

The Avalanche started their trip with a 3-0 setback Tuesday night in Vancouver, a game that saw Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko turn aside all 25 shots sent his way.

“It's disappointing,” coach Jared Bednar told NHL.com after the game. “For me, this is a borderline playoff game in February, right? And I just didn't like the way we competed in order to win the game. We played a smart hockey game for the most part.

"We did some good things, but like in the trenches, we weren't hard enough.”

The Avs are five points up on the Flames in the Western Conference standings - the two teams share the two wild-card berths following the conclusion of play Wednesday - and Colorado also sits just two points behind the Minnesota Wild for third place in the Central Division.

So needless to say, these games mean just as much for tonight's visitors as they do for the Flames.

But the Avalanche have been making headlines recently off the ice, too.

Colorado sent Finnish star Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes in a blockbuster Jan. 24, a deal that saw forwards Martin Necas, Jack Drury and a pair of draft picks land in the Mile High City.

Necas has started strongly, with five points from his first six games with Colorado, while Drury - whose father, Ted and uncle Chris both laced 'em up for the Flames once upon a time - has two goals since the move.

A quartet of Avalanche skaters are set to compete in the 4 Nations Face-Off, too.

Nathan MacKinnon, Devon Toews and Calgarian Cale Makar will represent Canada, while Artturi Lehkonen will suit up for Finland.

3. Fast Facts

2024-25 Season Series

Tonight marks the first of three meetings this season between Calgary and Colorado, and first of two to take place at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

The Avs will be back in town, before a season set finale Mar. 31 in Denver.

Colorado swept the three-game season series a year ago, though two of the three contests were decided by two goals or fewer.

Blake Coleman and Nazem Kadri led the Flames in scoring versus the Avalanche last season, each chipping in with a goal and two assists over the three-game series.

Did You Know?

Good help is hard to find.

And Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri have been keen on dishing out helpers since arriving in Calgary in the summer of 2022.

The pair are closing in on Flames milestones ahead of tonight's game, too.

Huberdeau sits on 99 career assists in Calgary silks, while Kadri has 98 since arriving from - coincidentally - the Avalanche.

Kadri is also nine dishes away from 400 for his NHL career, while Huberdeau hit the 500-assist milestone earlier this season.

4. Ilya-Matic

His media session Wednesday was half-man, half-amazing.

Ilya Solovyov had the Calgary press contingent hanging on every word, when he recounted the heart-warming tale behind this week's recall from the AHL's Calgary Wranglers. READ MORE HERE

But where might 'Solo' slot in, should he dress in his 11th career NHL game tonight?

Head coach Ryan Huska indicated Solovyov's size, strength, and propensity to sacrifice his body could all play into his lineup decisions, adding there is room for someone of the Belarusian's ilk to make waves on a penalty-kill that surrendered two goals Tuesday against Toronto.

"Big-bodied defenceman, (he) needs to be hard to play against, right? And that’s not necessarily meaning he’s going to finish hits like Pachal does, but we do need him to keep people away from the front of our net," Huska explained. "‘Cause that’s part of who he is, he’s a bigger, stronger man, moves well, and as I said, we have openings for penalty-killers on the back end.

"We need people to step up and grab hold of that role, so there may be an opportunity for him in those situations."

Solovyov got into 10 games last season, and this year, he's putting up career numbers in the AHL with six goals and 21 points.

He's been handling a heavy schedule, but overall, the 24-year-old figures he's feeling primed to take another step in his career.

"I feel better than the last time, too," he said Wednesday of his progression year over year. "You’re practicing a lot. We play a lot, too, in the AHL. I can tell we’ve got a crazy schedule in the A, especially this part of the season, the first part. We play the most games in the AHL. We play back-to-back, a lot of games, but we don’t take the private jet, too.

"I think it just makes me stronger. Nothing new."

5. Players to Watch

Flames - Yegor Sharangovich

Do you hear that Jaws theme in the background?

Sharky is starting to heat up.

He's got powerplay goals in back-to-back games, and five of Sharangovich's 11 tallies this season have come since the calendar flipped to 2025.

The 26-year-old assumed a net-front position on the man-advantage against the Leafs, and standing in that dangerous area sure paid off, as Sharangovich not only provided a picture-perfect screen, he got a touch to MacKenzie Weegar's point blast, too.

Duuuunnnn duun.

Avalanche - Martin Necas

The Czech forward has been thrust further into the spotlight after being involved in a blockbuster deal, one that saw him and fellow star Mikko Rantanen switch addresses last month.

Tonight will mark Necas' seventh game with Colorado and so far, he's managed to put up a pair of multi-point efforts, and five points (1G, 4A) overall.

Necas scored his first goal with the Avalanche Jan. 31 against the Blues.

Earlier this season, he had a goal and an assist at the Scotiabank Saddledome, all part of a 4-2 Carolina Hurricanes win over the Flames on Oct. 24.

He was named the game's first star.