5 Things - Flames vs. Capitals

1. Taking 'Offence'

With just a pair of goals in two straight losses at home, Head Coach Ryan Huska was asked what is the biggest key to generating more offence for his club.

“For me, when I look at our team, I think our defenceman have done a good job over the last little while,” said Huska following Thursday’s practice at the Scotiabank Saddledome, ahead of tonight's tilt with the visiting Capitals (GET TICKETS). “They are doing what they need to do for us, where I think our forwards need to bring more to the table – collectively, as a group.

“So, I don’t think there’s one guy there I would single out and say this guy’s got to be better, I think it’s as a whole. I mean, you can look at it analytically, you can look at it with the eye test - we don’t have enough zone time. I don’t think we do a good enough job of winning our puck battles in the offensive zone to increase our zone time. I don’t think we get enough traffic to front of the net, and I think those are areas where our forwards have to take a little more ownership of and make sure they are willing to be difference makers for us tomorrow night in those categories.”

Calgary fell 4-1 to visiting Pittsburgh Wednesday night, their first regulation loss in four games. That came after they were edged 2-1 in OT by the Devils at home Monday night.

Captain Mikael Backlund echoed his coach.

"We want to get pucks in and go and forecheck more and win pucks back and create that O-zone time," said Backlund. "So yeah, it's gonna be key for sure. Be really quick in the D-zone, pace to neutral zone, and then get in and we want to improve on our O-zone time."

The Flames look to get back in the win column against a Caps team that presents big challenges for their opponents.

But ones that can be overcome with the right gameplan.

“They play the game the right way,” said Huska. “The one thing with them, I think they use their size and their heaviness to their advantage and they wear teams down.

“So, you have to, in my opinion, play the game accordingly. So if you’re going to give them opportunities to keep coming at you on transition or if you’re not raising your level in regards to your puck battles to maintain some possession time, then you allow them to find their game.

“That’s the challenge we’re going to face, the bigger, heavier style of hockey they’re going to want to play tomorrow and we're going to have to be ready for that.”

Jonathan Huberdeau missed Wednesday’s game, listed out day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Huska said Thursday he does expect the left-winger will play tonight.

“He’ll go on the ice in the morning and I’m pretty sure he’ll be good.”

2. Know Your Enemy

It's been a bumpy patch for Alexander Ovechkin and the Caps.

Following a 3-2 OT victory over the Canadiens at home on Jan. 13, Washington has lost four straight, most recently being edged 4-3 by the Canucks in Vancouver on Jan. 21, the homeside snapping an 11-game skid with the victory.

Washington is now 24-21-6 on the campaign and woke up Thursday morning sitting four points out of a Eastern conference Wild Card berth with a slew of teams clumped around them in the standings.

Dylan Strome and Justin Sourdif scored to give the Caps a 2-0 lead in the opening stanza in Vancouver but the Canucks got a pair from Brock Boeser and Evander Kane to knot things after 20 minutes.

Vancouver scored two in the second to lead by a pair going into the third, where Strome would narrow the gap at 16:37 but that was all the scoring for Washington.

When the Caps take the ice tonight at the Scotiabank Saddledome they should be plenty motivated to snap their slump if their head coach's postgame comments are any indication.

“Our season is hanging in the balance here,” Spencer Carbery told media. “We're going to have to dig in and give everything we possibly have and play like we're in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I hate using that in the regular season, and you never want to drum that up in January and say it's like a playoff game, but we are getting very, very close to teetering on if we don't get results soon, we're going to be in a huge, huge hole.”

3. Fast Facts

Cloud 9

Zach Whitecloud recorded an assist on Yegor Sharangovich’s second-period marker against Pittsburgh on Wednesday to record his first point as a member of the Flames. Whitecloud has now accumulated 79 points in his NHL career, ranking 16th among all undrafted defenceman since 2017-18 when he made his NHL debut. Whitecloud’s 23 goals are tied for the ninth-most on that list and he is one of 11 undrafted defencemen to register a shorthanded goal since 2017-18.

Big Bahler

Kevin Bahl also recorded an assist on Yegor Sharangovich’s second-period marker against Pittsburgh to give him helpers in three-straight games to set a new career-best assist-streak as well as match his career-best point streak (Nov. 29 – Dec. 3, 2024: 1-2 – 3). Since January 17, Bahl has registered four assists to rank tied for the most among defencemen and third-most among all skaters in the league over that span (as of Jan. 22).

\ Stick tap to Flames PR wiz Jordan Bay for these tidbits*

4. Did You Know?

Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson was born in Calgary and played his U18 hockey for the Calgary Buffaloes before moving on to Junior ‘A’ with the Grand Prairie Storm and eventually the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings.

5. Players To Watch

Flames - Yegor Sharangovich

Sharky has been showing off his bite of late, with three goals and four points in his last four outings. His goal Wednesday came with less than three seconds to play in the second when a point shot from newcomer Zach Whitecloud deflected off him and in. While that goal was a lucky one, the winger has 'been all around it' of late, creating chances by using his skating and dangerous shot.

Capitals - Alex Ovechkin

Hard not to go with The Great 8 when he comes to town. Olympic bound Team Canada member Tom Wilson leads the Caps in scoring with 22 goals and is tied with Ovechkin in points at 43, though Wilson's played eight less games this season. Ovechkin, though, at 40 years young remains dynamic - especially when parked in his 'office' for one-timers - and is second in goals with 20, and has three assists in his last four games.