5 Things - Flames vs. Canadiens

1. Sticking Together

They've stayed in the chase through 62 games.

And Flames general manager Craig Conroy wasn't about to let that all go to waste.

Conroy stood firm - and kept his group intact - from deep in the heart of Texas Friday, as the NHL Trade Deadline came and went without a move involving the Calgarians.

And that's just as much a reflection on Conroy's dressing room as anything, as the Flames return home to host the Canadiens to kick off a three-game homestand at the Scotiabank Saddledome. GET TICKETS

It's a welcome change, a year on from a deadline that saw Conroy's hand forced by pending free agents.

This March, there's a sense of commitment, of trust, among the group vying to put the Flames back in the post-season for the first time in three years.

Conroy got his work done early, bringing in forwards Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost, a vote of confidence in a roster that's exceeded external expectations through the first three quarters of the campaign.

"It’s a little different than last year obviously … but it’s a good thing, because we believe in the team just from the beginning of the year," Conroy said Friday in Dallas after the deadline passed. "We made a trade with Philly, and we did it earlier. We jumped ahead of it a little bit.

"We feel good with the team, and we believe in the group, and they believe in each other, which is great."

All season long, Conroy and head coach Ryan Huska have referred to the group of six leaders - veteran forwards and defenders who surely would have drawn interest from around the league - and Friday, Conroy re-affirmed the group has helped swing the dressing room vibe in the right direction.

"Really, just for us, we feel like this group has done a great job," Conroy shared. "They’re tight, you see ‘em in the locker room, you see ‘em together.

"They believe we’re going to do it - right from day one in training camp - and now, we’re going to see how they do down the stretch."

And make no mistake, the stretch is here.

This three-game stop on home soil is a chance for the Flames to build on an already strong home record. Calgary's 17 home wins are the most of any of the teams vying for that coveted second Wild Card spot in the West, and it's no secret the Flames will need to extract as many points as they can from Scotiabank Saddledome ice if they're to claim that spot as their own.

Twenty games left.

An Original Six opponent - with Original Six atmosphere sure to follow.

Conroy's charges have come this far. It's time to see what they're made of as we head into the home stretch.

2. Know Your Enemy

Calgary marks stop No. 2 on Montreal's four-game, Pacific Division swing, and the Habs practiced Friday at the Scotiabank Saddledome after falling 3-2 in overtime Thursday night up the QEII in Edmonton.

Evan Bouchard had the extra-time tally for the Oilers, while Cole Caufield and Joel Armia lit the lamp for the Canadiens, who erased a pair of deficits to extend their point streak to six games (5-0-1).

And like the Flames, Montreal held firm at Friday's NHL Trade Deadline, a move general manager Kent Hughes attributes to recent form, as well as a conversation with his captain, Nick Suzuki.

"I had a discussion with Nick and I just repeated what I had told him: 'It’s on your shoulders,' but don’t come here to tell me not to make any trades if you aren’t doing what you need to do," Hughes told reporters Friday. "And they won five straight games after that conversation, and I think Nick recorded 13 points in five games.

"So, we were happy to see that."

Suzuki's 13 points, by the way, were good for a share of second place among NHL skaters since the league returned from the 4 Nations break (as of the start of play Friday), while Caufield has five goals in six games since Montreal got back to action Feb. 22.

And that run of form has the Habs right in the mix in the Eastern Conference, sitting just a point behind the Senators for the second Wild Card spot.

The youth are leading the charge in La Belle Province, as Montreal chases its first post-season berth since their run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021.

3. Wild Card Update

The Flames (29-23-10, 68 points) head into tonight's game one point back of the Canucks for the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, after Vancouver (29-22-11, 69 points) knocked off Minnesota 3-1 Friday night.

The first Wild Card spot is held by the Wild, who have 76 points on the strength of a 36-23-4 record.

Calgary is tied in the Western Conference standings with the St. Louis Blues (31-27-6), though the Flames hold two games in hand over the Blues.

Utah (28-25-10, 66 points) is also within striking difference, though they were forced to settle for a single point Friday in a 4-3 overtime loss at Chicago.

The Flames also sit three points behind the third-place Los Angeles Kings in the Pacific Division standings. The Kings have two games in hand as of the beginning of play Saturday.

As for the out-of-town scoreboard...

St. Louis is also in action Saturday, visiting Los Angeles at 6 p.m. MT.

The Flames will have their eyes on a trio of Sunday tilts, too.

The Kings visit the Golden Knights at 6 p.m. MT, Vancouver hosts Dallas at 7 p.m. MT, while Anaheim is home to the New York Islanders at 7 p.m. MT.

4. Fast Facts

2024-25 Season Series

Calgary is seeking its second consecutive season series sweep over Montreal after recording a 3-2 overtime victory Nov. 5 at the Bell Centre.

Matt Coronato's two goals tied, and ended that contest - the OT marker came just seven seconds into extra time - while Connor Zary also chipped in with a single in a game that saw the Flames outshoot the Habs 36-23.

Dustin Wolf earned the victory in goal - his second in as many tries against Montreal over the course of his young NHL career.

Did You Know?

The Flames goalie tandem of Dan Vladar and Dustin Wolf both benefitted from the two-week 4 Nations break.

How do we know?

Just glance at their save percentage since Calgary returned to action Feb. 23.

Since the team got back to game action, Vladar has put up a .927 save percentage over three appearances, a 34-point increase on his season total of .893.

Wolf, meanwhile, is running at a clip of .920, which is above the .913 total he's assembled over 37 appearances this season.

Simply put, it's the best time of year to be playing your best hockey of the year, and both Vladar and Wolf have proven up to the task in recent weeks.

5. Players To Watch

Flames - Matt Coronato

The first meeting between these two clubs might be the highlight of Matt Coronato's season.

Two goals - including a laser-beam overtime winner - and a massive boost in confidence and self-belief, one that's propelled the young forward to a 16-goal, 32-point campaign thus far.

Coronato played 20:43 in Thursday's OT setback in Dallas, the most he's played in any road game this season.

He comes into tonight's contest with six points (3G, 3A) from his last six home appearances.

Canadiens - Lane Hutson

Hutson is one of the four pre-eminent rookies (including Flames netminder Dustin Wolf) vying for the Calder Memorial Trophy, and for good reason.

The defender is one point away from hitting 50 on the campaign, and only two blueliners league-wide have more than the nine assists he's accrued since Feb. 1 (Cale Makar of the Avalanche and Ottawa's Jake Sanderson).

Hutson brings a six-game point streak to the Scotiabank Saddledome; he had a helper Thursday night in Montreal's 3-2 OT loss at Edmonton.