The Flames are coming off of a five-day hiatus but rest is still a concern for head coach Glen Gulutzan ahead of tonight's match-up against the Arizona Coyotes.
He put his troops through an energetic skate yesterday afternoon but didn't push for his players to hit the ice this morning, holding an optional pre-game skate.
"The popular opinion, and what I think most teams have done coming out of breaks, is practice at 4:00 because that's when you can practice. And practice in the morning and play at 7:00," he explained.
"We tried to be real short today, it was an optional so not all guys went. You come out of four-day break and you skate guys three times in 27 hours … if I was putting you on program and you hadn't worked out for awhile and I made you work out three times in 27 hours, I'm wondering what your energy is going to be like at 7:00.
"We tried to look at a little different. We know the records of teams coming out of these breaks so we just have to make sure we're mentally ready and we tried to get the mental and physical part down."
FLAMES RESTED, READY FOR TONIGHT'S GAME
Glen Gulutzan has tailored his practice schedule to ensure his team is ready for tonight's game