5 Things - Flames vs. Sharks 

1. Last Time Out

It's not exactly uncharted territory the Flames are in.

That said, it's only been succesfully navigated once before.

According to the NHL media site, only one team has overcome a five-point deficit with four games to go to make the playoffs, the situation the Flames found themselves in before their 4-2 victory over the visiting Wild Friday night.

Minny - and St. Louis - are the teams the Flames are trying to reel in and pass for a wild-card berth.

But the one thing this group is not lacking is belief: in themselves, in each other, in making the postseason dance.

"Well, you know, it's not fully in our control, but we'll control what can in that equation," said forward Blake Coleman after an optional skate Saturday at the Scotiabank Saddledome. "And if there's any team that just won't go away, it's this one. And, you know, we've found ways to continuously stay in the fight and give ourselves a chance.

"So, you certainly don't want to be relying on the scoreboard watching this time of year but that's the reality of our situation, and we'll do what we can to control our part."

Their part continues tonight when they face the Sharks for the second time in seven days, after beating them 3-2 in San Jose back on Monday.

Friday's win over the Wild was electric in the 'Dome, the roof almost coming off when fav favourite Ryan Lomberg scored on a third-period breakaway. Stuck in must-win territory for what seems like forever right now, the excitement and energy around the team is palpable.

"It was loud last night. It was a fun, fun atmosphere," said Morgan Frost on Saturday. "And I think when Lombo scored his goal, that was the loudest I've heard it for sure. And I think some of the guys have kind of talked about just the playoff atmosphere."

It's a taste of what they hope will be the main course if they can book their playoff ticket.

"I think guys have seen it, whether it's on TV or just heard about it through word of mouth and you know, it's not quite the same as actually getting to experience it for yourself," said Coleman. "So we've definitely talked about it and you know, we're happy we have these meaningful games on the stretch, that we can get to play in good environments. It was real loud in the rink last night and, you know, it's an exciting time of year to be playing these games that matter.

"So, getting to the playoffs is obviously a different level and another level of excitement in the city and you know, we're gonna do our part till we don't have a chance anymore. We're gonna keep playing hard and giving ourselves a chance to be there."

2. Know Your Enemy

This the fourth and final meeting of the season for these two clubs, Calgary 3-0 so far.

Since falling to the Flames on Monday, San Jose lost an 8-7 barnburner in OT to the Wild on Wednesday and were clipped 4-2 by the Oilers in Edmonton Friday.

The homeside had a 2-0 lead in the first when Will Smith scored to narrow the gap for the Sharks after 20 minutes. Henry Thrun would tie it up at 5:44 of the second but Corey Perry and Connor Brown iced it in the third.

The Sharks are a league worst 20-48-11 this season, and 8-22-9 on the road.

“We got off to a slow start, but we got it going there and had good chances, good chances to tie it up so I give a lot of credit to our group, they continue to compete,” Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky told NHL.com. “They’re not looking at the record, they just want to compete and play for each other and that’s something we can tip our cap to.”

Despite losing Jack Thompson and Timothy Liljegren in the tilt, the team continued to battle till the end.

“We’ve been out of the playoffs for a while, but you can see right now, everyone is fighting for one another,” San Jose forward Alexander Wennberg said. “This game, obviously, they have a lot to play for, but we’re digging in, we want to be a part of it and we want to give them a hell of a challenge and I felt today we did that.

“Obviously, we want to come away with the win, we’re a little bit disappointed. But it’s still a good team effort, for sure.”

3. Wild Card Update

The out-of-town scoreboard wasn't terribly kind to the Flames on Saturday, with the Wild overcoming a 2-0, third-period deficit to beat the Canucks 3-2 in overtime. The Blues, meanwhile, lost for the third straight game - but picked up a valuable single point in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Kraken.

There's no room for error now.

The Flames need to go a minimum of 2-0-1 and get help this coming Tuesday. Here's a look at the remaining schedule for the three teams in play:

Minnesota Wild (44-30-7, 95 points)

• Apr. 15 vs. Anaheim Ducks

St. Louis Blues (43-30-8, 94 points)

• Apr. 15 vs. Utah Hockey Club

Calgary Flames (38-27-14, 90 points)

• Apr. 13 vs. San Jose Sharks
• Apr. 15 vs. Vegas Golden Knights
• Apr. 17 at Los Angeles Kings

4. Fast Facts

Animated Game Tonight

The Flames, in partnership with our broadcast partner Sportsnet and the National Hockey League, will host Canada’s first-ever, real-time, full-length NHL Animated Data Visualization 'Harvey’s Mountain Classic' between the Flames and Sharks tonight.

The program will feature two names very well known to Flames fans: Brendan Parker, the host of Flames TV will provide the play-by-play voice alongside Meaghan Mikkelson from Sportsnet 960 The Fan for colour commentary. Both Brendan and Meaghan will be immersed in 'Harvey’s Mountain Classic' as their very own animated avatars, calling the game from NHL Studios in New York. This will also be a family affair with Brendan’s son Kade and Meaghan’s son Calder being featured all program long with an exclusive content series featuring Flames players, education around hockey and much more.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

Vibes Are Immaculate

Defenceman MacKenzie Weegar was named the 2024-25 Peter Maher Good Guy Award winner Saturday. The trophy is a nod to the iconic former radio voice of the team, who was on hand for the ceremony, and acknowledges the qualities of sincerity, integrity, dedication and respect.

Local media members submit their ballots with their top three choices, Weegar getting the nod this time around. CLICK TO READ MORE

Look Backs On It

Flames captain Mikael Backlund scored his 213th career goal on Friday night against Minnesota, surpassing Sean Monahan for the eighth-most in franchise history. Backlund has now tied Al MacInnis (213) for seventh-most, and two more goals would see him match Lanny McDonald’s 215 markers with the franchise, the sixth-most in Flames history.

5. Players to Watch

Flames - Yegor Sharangovich

Sharky has scored a goal in each of his last two outings, finding the scoresheet with a deft tip of a Martin Pospisil offering Friday night, his 15th of the season. It was also his 99th career goal and with one more tally, he can become just the third skater of Belarussian descent in NHL history to reach the 100-goal plateau, joining Mikhail Grabovski (125), and Andrei Kostitsyn (103).

Sharks - Macklin Celebrini

It's another chance to see the young up-and-coming first-overall pick, who leads the Sharks with 62 points in 67 games this season. His 24 goals is second only to former Flame Tyler Toffoli, who has 29.