5 Things - Flames vs. Hurricanes

1. Homestandin'

Four straight games, and five of the next six, inside the friendly confines of the Scotiabank Saddledome.

A stretch of games in front of the home faithful, and another stiff test this evening versus the defending Stanley Cup champs. GET TICKETS

If the Flames' recent schedule has had a 'Murderer's Row' feel to it of late, it's for good reason. Carolina becomes the fifth straight opponent on Calgary's schedule to have reached at least the second round of last year's playoffs, and for the second straight game, the Flames will face one of last spring's two Conference champions.

But these games - against the best the league has to offer - are the type of games that competitors live for. A chance to prove one's mettle, to be hunters against the hunted.

Forward Adam Klapka is one of those competitors, and so far this season, he's put in the work. The big Czech winger enters Sunday's game with two goals on the season and, as of Saturday evening, a league-leading 32 penalty minutes.

But when asked about his early-season impact Saturday, Klapka pointed away from the numbers game, choosing instead to focus on one intangible: consistency.

"The big thing for me coming into the season was to play (consistently). That was the number-one thing," Klapka said. "Last year, there was a stretch of games where I was playing well, but there was a stretch of games where I didn’t really do anything.

"That was a big thing for me, and that was the message from the coach too. That’s my focus right now."

Reading game situations is another area Klapka is focusing on, too. Knowing when to try a dangle like the one he executed beautifully for his toe-drag goal last week against the Avalanche. Knowing too, when to mix it up, as the 6-foot-8 forward is certainly capable of.

One (giant) step at a time, he's trying to make himself indispensable.

And he's learning to keep a short memory, too.

"When the game is done, I just sweep it (aside), just focus for the next one," Klapka explained. "During the game, I just go shift by shift, and don’t really think about what was in the past, or what is going to be in the future.

"Just live (in) the moment."

That mentality will serve Klapka and his mates well, particularly in the midst of a difficult start to the 2026-27 campaign.

But should the Flames need a spark - a rallying cry - as this four-game homestand begins, Klapka might just be the guy to deliver it.

2. Know Your Enemy

Carolina comes to town having won seven straight games, the most recent of which came in Winnipeg Saturday afternoon by a 3-2 final score. 

Mark Jankowski and Jesperi Kotkaniemi got the first two Hurricanes markers at Canada Life Centre, before Nikolaj Ehlers notched the decider against the Jets club with whom he began his NHL career, helping Carolina improve to 5-0-0 on the road for the first time in franchise history.

Jankowski, the former Flame, returns to his first NHL home riding a six-game goal-scoring streak, which earned the praises of his Head Coach post-game Saturday.

"(Jankowski) is a solid player, and ever since we picked him up, that's what he's been doing, and now with a little more opportunity (he's) suddenly cashing in," Rod Brind'Amour told NHL.com. "He's just a guy that can do a little bit of everything, and we need that right now."

Goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov turned aside 21 shots Saturday to improve his record to 5-0-0.

Sebastian Aho leads the team with 13 points in the absence of the club's goal-scoring leader from last season, Seth Jarvis.

The Winnipeg product is inching closer to making his season debut, however, after undergoing shoulder surgery in June.

3. Fast Facts

2026-27 Season Series

Calgary and Carolina will meet twice this season, with tonight's contest marking the Hurricanes' final regular-season visit to the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost each had three-point nights in the last meeting - a 5-4 Flames triumph at the 'Dome Mar. 7 - a contest that also saw Ryan Strome score in his Calgary debut.

The Flames collected three of a possible four points against the Hurricanes in 2025-26.

Did You Know?

A pair of Flames linemates are set to hit career games played milestones this evening.

Morgan Frost sits on 399 career NHL appearances, while Matt Coronato has 199 NHL contests on his resume.

Frost has 193 points to date in his NHL career, including 58 in Calgary silks since making his Flames debut in February of 2025, while Coronato enters tonight's contest with 105 career points since being selected No. 13 by Calgary in the 2021 NHL Draft.

4. Saddle Stories

The Flames' Stanley Cup season of 1988-89 had a few memorable goal-scoring moments beneath the Saddle. Lanny McDonald's 500th career goal, Joe Nieuwendyk's five-goal output against the Jets. 

But Jiri Hrdina was the star of the show when Calgary hosted the Hartford Whalers Nov. 7, 1988.

He had Nieuwendyk to thank, too.

Hrdina earned some extra ice-time when Nieuwendyk was tossed from the contest late in the first period, and the Czech centreman took full advantage, scoring four times in a 6-3 Flames victory.

It was Hrdina's second hat-trick (or better) in the first 15 games of the regular season, his first full NHL campaign after being selected by Calgary in the eighth round of the 1984 NHL Draft.

But after the contest, the conversation centred around - of all things - tennis.

You see, Hrdina's countryman Ivan Lendl was - at the time - the three-time reigning ATP Player of the Year and during that time, Lendl served on the Whalers' board of directors.

"I know Lendl is a great fan of the Whalers," Hrdina told the Calgary Herald. 

"He will not be too happy about me tonight."

5. Players To Watch