5 THINGS - FLAMES VS. MAPLE LEAFS

FLAMES (41-17-7; 87 PTS) vs. MAPLE LEAFS (40-21-4; 84 PTS)

US

The Flames had a season-high seven-game winning streak snapped with a 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. It was the first time all year they've lost a game in regulation when tied after two periods (11-1-5). Sean Monahan and Travis Hamonicsupplied the offence, while Mike Smith made 19 saves in defeat. "Anytime you lose, it sucks," Monahan - who had seven (a game high) of the Flames' 37 shots - lamented post-game. "I thought we controlled a lot of the play tonight. But that's hockey. Sometimes, that's how it works out." … The Flames were the better team for the majority of the night, and at one point had a 30-11 advantage on the shot clock, but "ran out of gas," according to head coach Bill Peters, in their first game back from another exhausting east-coast trek. … The Flames lead the San Jose Sharks by three points (with a game in hand) for first place in the Pacific, and after travelling more than 20,000km over nine road dates in the month of the February, they'll play 10 of their next 15 on Scotiabank Saddledome ice. … Injury report: Oliver Kylington (lower body) has missed the past three games, but could be available. James Neal (upper body) has missed the past eight and remains "week-to-week." Michael Stone (blood clot) is back practicing, but there is no timeline on when he could return to game action. He's missed the past 42 games. … The Flames have eight defencemen currently on the active roster, with Stone (IR) giving them a ninth option on the backend. … Following tonight's game, the Flames will head back on the road for a quick, two-game trip beginning on Wednesday in Vegas.

THEM

The Maple Leafs are kicking off a three-game, western-Canadian road trip with a stop in our city after thumping the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 on Saturday. It was a great response by the Leafs, who took it on the chin with a 6-1 loss just 48 hours earlier in John Tavares' return to Long Island. Tavares and Mitch Marner had three points (1G, 2A) each in the win over Buffalo, and goaltender Frederik Andersen stopped 35 as the Buds improved to 4-1-0 in their last five outings. Nic Petan - who was acquired from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Par Lindholm at last week's trade deadline - scored the game-winner in his Leafs debut after going 72 straight days without playing in game of any kind, and more than a calendar year since he last dotted the scoresheet at the NHL level. "It felt great," Petan told Dave McCarthy of NHL.com. "There's obviously improvement that needs to be made in the rest of my game, but it felt good to be out there again and the goal was a cherry on top. It was an unreal pass. I was yelling super loud and when we got back to the bench (Leafs forward Trevor) Moore said, 'Good yell.' It was a phenomenal pass. I didn't really think about it too much, I just smacked it and it went in." … The Leafs just finished up a stretch of seven games in 12 nights, compiling a 4-2-1 record in that span but losing ground to the second-place Boston Bruins, who have a three-point lead on the Buds for home ice in the Atlantic playoff bracket. … Injury report: Defencemen Jake Gardiner (back) and Travis Dermott (shoulder) are out long term, with Igor Ozhiganov and Martin Marincin filling in on Saturday. Centre Nazem Kadri (concussion) has been out since Feb. 19, but is back skating and could play at some point on the road trip.

US VS. THEM

The Flames out-shot the Leafs 33-25 and took a 3-1 decision back on Oct. 29, 2018 at Scotiabank Arena, and have a chance to sweep the season series here tonight. Ontario native Sean Monahan, Elias Lindholm, and Michael Frolik tallied the goals for Calgary that night, while Nazem Kadri had the Big Smoke's lone marker. Mike Smith made 24 saves.

THIS, THAT & THE OTHER

THIS: Sean Monahan scored his 30th goal of the season on Saturday. This is the first time in his young career were he's scored 30-plus goals in back-to-back campaigns. Monahan now has 168 career tallies, which is the most by any player from the 2013 Draft. His 168 goals also give him sole possession of 10th all-time in goals as a Flame. ... THAT: The Flames have allowed an average of only 28.7 shots per game this season, tied for the third-lowest in the NHL. Calgary's 32.2 shots-per-game average is tied with Toronto and Tampa Bay for the 11th most. The Flames are out-shooting their opponents 699 to 565 in the third period for a +134 differential, which is the highest in the NHL. ... THE OTHER: Travis Hamonic set a new career high in goals with his sixth of the season on Saturday. He had scored five three times before in his career (2010-11, 2014-15 and 2015-16). The Defencemen now has 15 points (6G, 9A) on the year, giving him his highest point total since the 2015-16 season when he had 21 (5G, 16A).

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Flames - Johnny Gaudreau
The 'Johnny and Mony Show' was in the fine form, serving up one of the Flames' two goals and nearly connecting for another on a similar play later on in Saturday's contest. Gaudreau, who led all skaters with a 77.14% Corsi and had a hand in 14 of the Flames' 26 scoring chances that night, is now on a three-game point streak (4A), and enters the contrest with 14 points (5G, 9A) in his last 12 home games.
Maple Leafs - Zach Hyman
The 26-year-old has four goals in his last five games, and is currently riding shotgun on the top line with John Tavares and Mitch Marner. He's now only one goal off his career high of 15 set last year, and could top the 40-point plateau for the second straight season if he continues at this pace. Hyman, a fourth-year pro, currently has 29 points in 55 games (0.57 PPG), and 17 more to make a push.