5 Things - Flames vs. Stars

1. Keep It Rolling

Each game as of late has had a playoff feel.

And that trend won’t change anytime soon.

With the Flames in the thick of the tight playoff race, they’ve done their part in racking up wins – the latest a 4-3 overtime decision over the Kraken Tuesday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Trailing 2-1 after 40 minutes, Nazem Kadri and Rasmus Andersson quickly turned things around late in the third before Seattle’s Jordan Eberle tied the game with 1:30 left to go.

For the second straight game overtime was needed and for the second straight game, Kadri delivered.

Kadri walked in all alone and froze Settle netminder Joey Daccord with slick dekes for a highlight-reel finish just over a minute left in the extra frame to give the Flames their fourth straight win.

“I think he’s such an underrated player in the league,” Joel Hanley said of Kadri’s play as of late. “He has that compete and skill all at once and there’s not a lot of guys that have that. He just elevates his game in big games, these games for us are really big and I think he’s proving that.”

“It kinda fires you up when you see him doing everything. Obviously he’s producing offensively but he’s also playing great defensively and doing everything that the team needs. It definitely rubs off on the boys, for sure.”

As much as the room was still buzzing Wednesday from the big win, it was short lived with the focus quickly shifting to the next test: the Dallas Stars.

Tonight’s matchup is the third and final meeting of the season against the Central Division foes (GET TICKETS) with Calgary looking for their first triumph after a pair of losses, both in the Lone Star state.

With 12 games remaining on the sked, each game becomes more important than the last as the club fights for a playoff spot.

And, what better way to continue the hot stretch than with a win over one of the best in the West.

“The biggest thing for me and our staff is to make sure that they know we’re with them through and through,” Flames head coach Ryan Huska said. “We know the work they’ve put in, they have to know we’re in their corner and support them yet we’re still going to drive them hard, maybe even harder right now.

“They have to know we have their backs and we’re with them every step of the way.”

2. Know Your Enemy

A little close for comfort but a win is a win.

The Stars held off a late Oilers rally last night in Edmonton for a 4-3 victory, to pick up their third straight W and extend their point streak to six games (4-0-2).

Jason Robertson led the charge with a natural hat-trick to bring his total to 32 on the season, with Wyatt Johnston adding the other marker.

For Robertson, that now marks 17 goals in his last 24 games.

The Stars held the 4-0 lead headed into the final period but the Oilers battled back with goals from Corey Perry, Adam Henrique and Zach Hyman, with the home side failing to find the equalizer late.

Despite the win, Stars head coach Pete DeBoer was less than satisfied with his club’s effort.

“This is a hard league to win in. I haven’t had many disappointing wins in my career but this would be one of them,” DeBoer told reporters after the game. “I thought we played a really immature, sloppy game tonight especially in the first and third.

“It’s concerning, it's late in the season, playoffs around the corner. It’s a concerning trend here lately.”

Jack Oettinger had a busy night, stopping 42 shots to pick up his 33^rd win of the campaign as the Stars continue to hold down the second spot in the Central Division, five points clear of the Avalanche.

Wednesday's clash was the first of four on the road, closing out the trip with a rare back-to-back set against the Kraken on March. 29^th and 31^st.

3. Wild Card Update

The race continues to get interesting.

With Vancouver’s 5-2 win over the Islanders last night, the Canucks jumped a point ahead of the Flames into ninth place in the West with 80 points.

The Flames (34-25-11, 79 points) have two games in hand over Vancouver and three games in hand over the Blues who currently occupy the last wildcard spot in the Western Conference with 83 points.

St. Louis are in action tonight on the road in Nashville, while Vancouver take on the Blue Jackets tomorrow night in Ohio.

4. Fast Facts

Comeback Kids

The Flames earned their fourth-consecutive comeback win following the 4-3 overtime win over the Kraken Tuesday. The run dates back to March 18^th and is the third longest stretch in franchise history, behind a six-game run in 2016-17 and five-game run in 1988-89.

It also marked the third time the squad has completed a third-period comeback win in March, most in the NHL for the month.

Blasty Blackout

Tonight will mark the final time this season the Flames will rep Blasty threads, with fans encouraged to wear black for tonight’s clash to create a ‘Blackout’ environment.

The Flames hold a record of 7-4 in the 11 skates while wearing the third jerseys.

5. Players To Watch

Flames – Nazem Kadri

Who else but HIM.

Kadri has been red hot as of late, with six points in his last four skates and the first Flame in franchise history to score back-to-back overtime winners.

A pair of milestones are well within reach for the forward, three assists away from 400 and three points from 700.

Stars – Thomas Harley

When Miro Heiskanen was injured on Jan. 28 and then placed on LTIR on Feb. 4, the Stars knew they would need someone on the blueline to step up in his absence.

Enter Harley.

The rearguard has been sensational all year and enters tonight with five points in his last three skates. He’s been leaned on to play in all situations and his 45 points (15 G, 30A) sits two away from matching his career high set a year ago.