5 THINGS - FLAMES VS. RED WINGS

FLAMES (30-13-5: 65 pts) vs. RED WINGS (18-23-7: 43 pts)

US

The Flames had a five-game winning streak snapped with a 4-3 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday. Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk and Noah Hanifin supplied the offence, while David Rittich made 19 saves. Despite outshooting the Sabres 12-3 in the third period and overtime, Buffalo's hot hand prevailed as 2015 second-overall pick Jack Eichel put home the winner with a wicked shot off the rush only 1:09 into the fast-paced, 3-on-3 session. … The OTL, combined with a pair of regulation defeats by the San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights, means the Flames actually gained ground and now have a two-point cushion on first place in the Pacific, with a game in hand. … With a two-point effort Wednesday, Gaudreau extended his point streak to nine games (9G, 11A). His 22 multi-point games are only 11 shy of the franchise record for most in a season (33), a mark set by Bob MacMillan in 1978-79 (with Atlanta) and matched by Kent Nilsson in 1980-81 (with Calgary). The streak is currently the second-longest active streak in the NHL … "We played well (Wednesday)," said head coach Bill Peters. "I liked a lot of what we did. I liked our penalty kill; I liked our powerplay. We were +2 on special teams, I liked the fact that we didn't give up many seconds in the second half of the game. Lots of positives and we'll carry that forward." … James Neal missed the Buffalo contest due to illness, but was back at practice on Thursday alongside Sam Bennett and Mark Jankowski. … Travis Hamonic, meanwhile, was absent again after missing the previous two games due to a family illness. There is currently no timeline for when the blueliner will be back in the lineup.

THEM

The Red Wings have won back-to-back games for the first time in six weeks (Nov. 28 and Dec. 1), thanks to a 3-1 victory over the struggling Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday. Still, the Wings are well out of the conversation when it comes to the Eastern Conference playoff race, trailing Pittsburgh Penguins by 13 points for the second of two wild-card berths. … Goaltender Jimmy Howard - an unrestricted free agent this Jul. 1 - is enjoying a resurgent season, posting a 13-12-5 record, along with a .917 save percentage and a 2.71 goals-against average. "For starters, we're not in our own end the whole time," Howard told Arthur Regner of DetroitRedWings.com. "In the past, when we have the lead, we've sat back and kind of just play in our own end for the whole period. There's been some pushback here when we have the lead and continue to push forward. It's been nice to see." … While the rebuilding Red Wings could see a third consecutive season out of the playoffs, they've embraced a youth movement and have seen raw talent emerge as legitimate difference-makers in this league of late. The Wings' breadwinner, Dylan Larkin, is only 22 years old, but is on track for a new career high in goals and points with 45 in his first 48 games this year. Larkin, the 15th pick in the 2014 Draft, is the centerpiece of a young squad that has seven forwards 25 or younger. On Jan. 5, Larkin set a new franchise record with his fourth overtime goal of the season, and became the 20th player in NHL history to achieve such a feat. The NHL record is five, and he has 34 games left to do it. … This is the first of a three-game road trip for the Wings, who will travel to Vancouver for a Sunday date with the Canucks, before finishing off their January schedule on Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers.

US VS. THEM

This is the second of two meetings between these two teams, with the first going the way of the road team in a 5-3 victory at Little Caesar's Arena back on Jan. 2. Johnny Gaudreau led the way offensively with a goal and three helpers, Elias Lindholm chipped in three points (1G, 2A) of his own, and Mike Smith made 28 saves for the Flames, who outshot the Red Wings 35-32. … The Flames are 6-3-1 in their last 10 against the Winged Wheel.

THIS, THAT & THE OTHER

THIS: The Flames are the hottest team in the NHL with only one regulation loss in their last 10 games (7-1-2). … THAT: Mark Giordano has 12 points (3G, 9A) and is a +16 in his last 10 games. He's now tied for second among defencemen with 47 points (9G, 38A) in 45 games, and his +36 leads the NHL. Giordano is now only four points back of Brent Burnsfor the league lead in D scoring, with three games in hand. … THE OTHER: The Flames are entering their sixth set of back-to-back games this season. Following tonight's contest, they will head north for a Hockey Night showdown with the archrival Oilers. The Flames are 5-0-0 in the first game of a back-to-back scenario this season with their most recent win coming against the Red Wings on Jan. 2 in Detroit.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Flames - Mark Jankowski
Jankowski is playing some of the best hockey of his career, and is coming off an excellent performance against Buffalo that saw him lead all skaters with 10 or more minutes of ice time with a 75% Corsi (15-5). In the process, he co-led the team with four shots on goal, and had the outright advantage in scoring chances for and against, 5-1.
Red Wings - Niklas Kronwall
A player that will garner of interest at the upcoming trade deadline remains, at age 38, a steady offensive presence and one of the most punishing hitters in the game. Kronwall has two goals, 13 points, and is a +4 on a team with a -25 goal differential - all the while averaging 19:52 per game in ice time.