5 Things - Flames vs. Mammoth

1. Home (Not) For A Rest

Shortly after the buzzer sounded Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, the Flames' focus shifted back to the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Because less than 24 hours later, it'll be time for the first of the final three home fixtures of the season, a Sunday showdown against old friend MacKenzie Weegar and the Utah Mammoth. GET TICKETS

The road was long, the roster weary, but there's just enough time for one last push.

And a chance for this young group - one of the least experienced in the NHL - to put some of their road learning lessons into practice against Utah, Colorado and L.A. to close out the campaign.

"Probably the one main thing is that every shift matters, or every detail within the shift, no matter how small that is," Flames Head Coach Ryan Huska responded when asked what his young players will take away from the six-game trip that netted just one win. "You take your foot off the gas for one second at times, it can bite you.

"And along the way, you know, I think we did some good things on this road trip. Struggled our first night in Colorado. But that's probably the biggest thing is that every shift matters, no matter what situation you're in, how little that detail sometimes seems to be. That's what allows good teams to win hockey games when you have that full commitment to make sure every shift is played to your fullest."

For Abram Wiebe, Saturday's 4-1 setback to the Kraken was all about learning on the fly. Not only did the 22-year-old defenceman not have the chance to skate with the team before being thrust into Calgary's lineup, he was less than 48 hours removed from his collegiate finale with North Dakota.

Hard lessons, indeed.

A whirlwind? Absolutely.

But over these final 180 minutes (or more) of hockey, these young Flames will gather more on-the-job training in preparation for new beginnings in the fall.

2. Know Your Enemy

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are coming to Utah for the first time ever, and there's a palpable excitement in the air in Salt Lake City.

All that remains for the Mammoth, who hold the first Wild Card spot in the Western Conference with 90 points, is to find out who they'll face in the first round. 

Like Calgary, Utah comes to town on the second half of a back-to-back, and like the Flames, the Mammoth arrive in town on the heels of a 4-1 loss. Dylan Guenther had the lone marker Saturday for Utah in a 4-1 home defeat at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes.

But the storyline around tonight's opponent revolves around one man: MacKenzie Weegar. The four-year Flame returns to Calgary for the first time since being dealt to the Mammoth in early March. A fan favourite under the Saddle, and the unofficial ambassador of Scotia Place, Weegar leaves behind a lot of memories on and off the ice.

Weegar skated Saturday on Utah's top pairing, manning the right side on a duo with MIkhail Sergachev. Since joining the Mammoth, he's put up a goal and four points in 16 appearances while averaging just over 20 minutes of ice-time a night.

3. Fast Facts

2025-26 Season Series

Tonight's game is this season's rubber match between Calgary and Utah, with the home side having won both prior meetings in 2025-26.

The Mammoth scored a 3-1 win in their home opener Oct. 15, while the Flames triumphed 2-0 at the Scotiabank Saddledome Dec. 6 thanks to goals from Yegor Sharangovich and Connor Zary, and a 28-save shutout performance from Dustin Wolf.

Did You Know?

Defenceman Olli Määttä will skate for the first time against Utah since being dealt to the Flames during the first week of March. 

The blueliner spent a season-and-a-half with the Utahns, making 92 appearances for the club.

Määttä played in his 800th NHL contest Apr. 9 at Colorado, becoming just the seventh Finnish defenceman to do so, joining a group that also includes former Flame Toni Lydman.

4. Lineup Notes

The Flames are not slated to hold a morning skate Sunday, but here's how they lined up in Saturday's contest in Seattle:

FORWARDS

Yegor Sharangovich - Mikael Backlund- Matt Coronato

Joel Farabee - Morgan Frost - Matvei Gridin

Blake Coleman - Ryan Strome - Aydar Suniev

Connor Zary - Tyson Gross - Martin Pospisil

DEFENCE

Yan Kuznetsov - Zach Whitecloud

Olli Määttä - Hunter Brzustewicz

Abram Wiebe - Zayne Parekh

GOALTENDERS

Devin Cooley

Dustin Wolf

5. Players To Watch

Flames - Hunter Brzustewicz

Brzustewicz had the lone Flames marker against the Kraken, a right-circle rip that found the top corner past goalie Nikke Kokko's right shoulder.

The Michigan native finished Saturday's game with five shot attempts and a hit, but Brzustewicz has also settled nicely onto a pairing with veteran Olli Määttä. 

He's gone over 19 minutes of ice-time twice in his last five games - both against the Avalanche - and the Flames held a shot share of 70% at 5-on-5 when he was on the ice Saturday, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Mammoth - Dylan Guenther

Guenther has his first career 40-goal campaign after lighting the lamp Saturday against Carolina, and he comes into tonight's game on a seven-game point streak.

During that span, the Edmonton product has five multi-point outings including a three-point effort Apr. 2 at Seattle.

Since Mar. 1, Guenther is tied for fifth among NHL skaters with 13 tallies.