5 Things - Flames vs. Rangers

1. Home On The Range(rs)

Back in Wild Rose Country.

And designs on being a thorn in the side of their Broadway guests.

The Flames found a bit of offensive touch Friday night in Winnipeg, ultimately falling short 5-3 in a contest that featured 14 powerplays shared between the two sides.

And again, if Calgary could have played the 60 minutes at 5-on-5, the argument could be made that they would have avoided that setback. The Flames held a 70% share of the high-danger chances at stretches where both teams enjoyed a full complement of skaters, but the Jets had more than 11 minutes of powerplay time Friday, cashing in on two of their eight opportunities.

“You’re not going to win hockey games when you take eight minor penalties. It’s just the way it goes," head coach Ryan Huska said post-game. "Our 5-on-5 game, it’s been fine. Where we’ve been struggling lately is in the special teams department.

"It was nice to see some of our older guys get some goals for us, and try and get a little run support. The eight minor penalties, doesn’t work."

One lineup tweak that made an immediate impression Friday was Zayne Parekh's promotion to the top powerplay unit. In all, he finished that contest at Canada Life Centre with 4:35 of man-advantage playing time, earning his first career NHL assist on Nazem Kadri's first-period powerplay goal.

"He (Parekh) did a good job up there," Huska commented. "The puck movement up top was noticeably different, from him in particular.

"It was a lot quicker off of his stick, moving side to side, and I think that’s what opened up that chance for Naz on his goal."

The grueling October schedule doesn't get any easier for the Flames, either. After tonight's game, they're off to the Eastern Conference for a four-game set that begins Tuesday night in Toronto.

The time is nigh to take advantage of some 'Dome cooking.

2. Know Your Enemy

A Tale of Two Cities was set in London and Paris, but for the Rangers, the start to the season has been a tale of playing in New York, and everywhere else.

The club landed in Calgary Friday, and practiced Saturday afternoon at the Scotiabank Saddledome looking to build on their 3-0-1 road record in this, the first of a four-game Western swing that also includes stops in Vancouver, Edmonton and Seattle.

New York's been really good on the road, outscoring their opposition 15-6, while at home, they've yet to record a win, arriving in Alberta on the heels of a 6-5 overtime setback to the Sharks Thursday at Madison Square Garden.

Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox share the team lead with seven points apiece, they each have recorded six of their seven points away from home.

The team recalled centre Brennan Othmann from Hartford of the AHL Friday, but according to Rangers beat reporters who attended Saturday's practice, both Vincent Trocheck and Calgarian Matthew Rempe were absent from the skate, and neither made the trip West.

3. Fast Facts

2025-26 Season Series

The two sides will meet twice this season, with the return engagement set for Mar. 10 at Madison Square Garden.

The Flames swept the season series in 2024-25 with a pair of one-goal victories. Matt Coronato scored in each meeting - his goal at MSG stood up as the winner in a contest won 2-1 by Calgary - while Connor Zary's goal midway through the third period was the decider in the Flames' 3-2 home-ice win last November.

Did You Know?

The Flames have had quite the home record against the Rangers over the past few NHL seasons.

Since 2018-19, Calgary is 5-1-0 at home versus the Blueshirts, outscoring the Rangers 22-11 over that span.

Mikael Backlund leads all current Flames with five points (2G, 3A) against the Rangers at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

4. The Kids Are Alright

Friday night in Winnipeg, Sam Honzek became the fifth Flames youngster to record their first NHL point in the 2025 calendar year.

Honzek earned a helper on Mikael Backlund's second period marker, a play that served as Calgary's second milestone of the evening, after Zayne Parekh registered his first NHL assist on Nazem Kadri's first-period powerplay goal.

Curiously enough, each of the five Calgary milestones in 2025 have taken place on the road.

The list of Flames to put up their first points since the calendar flipped to 2025 is as follows:

• Rory Kerins - Jan. 13 at Chicago - assist
• Sam Morton - Apr. 17 at Los Angeles - goal
• Zayne Parekh - Apr. 17 at Los Angeles - goal
• Matvei Gridin - Oct. 8 at Edmonton - goal
• Sam Honzek - Oct. 24 at Winnipeg - assist

5. Players To Watch

Flames - Mikael Backlund

Backlund scored one of his prettiest goals in recent memory Friday night in Winnipeg, dancing through the slot to the front of the net, then deking around Eric Comrie's right pad for his second tally of the campaign.

It was all part of a two-point night for the Flames captain, who also finished +2 and led all Calgary forwards with seven shot attempts against the Jets.

With his multi-point game, Backlund moved clear of former Flames defenceman Gary Suter, and he now sits alone in sixth place among all-time franchise points leaders with 566.

Rangers - J.T. Miller

Miller is a familiar face to the Flames - and their fans - after his lengthy stint with the Vancouver Canucks.

Now in his second go-round with the Rangers, Miller was named the team's captain prior to the start of the season, and he comes into tonight's game with points in two of his last three games, including a two-assist effort Thursday against San Jose.

The American forward had a goal and four helpers in four meetings against Calgary a season ago.