5 Things - Flames @ Kraken

1. Right Back At It

No time for the Flames to dwell on a disappointing setback in Vancouver Saturday night. The team landed at Boeing Field in Seattle shortly after midnight Sunday, with a 6 p.m. MT puck drop - and rematch - against the Kraken on tap on a busy sports day in the Puget Sound. 

Stick tap to those fans who will take in the NFL's Seahawks and Chargers, then this NHL contest on the other side of downtown Seattle, by the way.

But there's perhaps no opponent (save those provincial rivals from Edmonton) against whom a win would feel quite as sweet right now. Three days on from a home-opener defeat at the Scotiabank Saddledome, the Flames get another crack at the Kraken, and a chance to finish this busy, West Coast weekend on the right note.

One way to get back on track? Try as one might to stay on the right side of the law.

Calgary has surrendered 10 powerplay opportunities through their first two games of the campaign, and while their 90% success rate on the penalty-kill is nothing to sneeze at, there's an acknowledgement from the group that undisciplined play cannot continue.

"We've just got to be smarter," captain Mikael Backlund said Saturday night after the loss to the Canucks. "Again, it's going to be hard to win games in the penalty box. It's not the (recipe) for success, but I like the way the guys responded."

Dustin Wolf is likely to draw the assignment between the pipes in this second half of a back-to-back scenario, as he - and the club - goes in search of their first victory of the new season.

The Flames have fared admirably of late, though, when playing the second half of back-to-back series. Calgary went 4-4-1 in what we'll call 'cappers' to avoid repetition a season ago, with tonight's game serving as the first of eight such situations in 2026-27.

2. Know Your Enemy

The Kraken are facing their first back-to-back set this evening as well, returning home after a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers Saturday in the Alberta capital.

Leon Draisaitl broke a 1-1 tie late in the third period, cashing in after the puck took a member's bounce off the left-wing boards in the offensive zone, before Connor McDavid added late insurance into the empty net. 

Wainwright product Bobby McMann, a 29-goal man last season with Toronto and Seattle, had the lone reply for the visitors.

"I think we deserved a better result," McMann told reporters post-game, alluding as well to the late Draisaitl tie-breaker. "Those ones are always tough to see, when a game's so close, and you've been playing so well down the stretch and towards the end of a game."

After Seattle played guests to the Flames' home-opener Thursday at the Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary will return the favour tonight. The Kraken hold a 1-4-0 all-time record in home-opening contests, with their lone victory coming Oct. 9, 2025 versus the Ducks.

3. Fast Facts

2026-27 Season Series

This evening's game is the second of four regular-season meetings in 2026-27 between Calgary and Seattle, all of which will have been played one month from now. 

Ryan Strome had the lone Flames goal in the opener, a 6-1 Kraken victory at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Seattle will visit the 'Dome one more time Oct. 30, before the season set concludes Nov. 4 in Washington state.

Did You Know?

No visiting team has recorded more points at Climate Pledge Arena than the 15 the Flames have accumulated since the Kraken first dipped their toes into NHL waters in 2021.

Calgary enters play Sunday holding a 7-1-1 record all-time in the Emerald City.

4. Milestone Watch

Sunday stands to be a special night for a pair of Calgary skaters.

Joel Farabee is slated to suit up in his 500th NHL contest, while Kevin Bahl is in line to make his 300th NHL appearance Sunday.

Farabee, the No.-14 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, played 384 of his previous 499 games as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers, before being acquired by Calgary in January of 2025. Last season, the product of Syracuse, N.Y. reached the 20-goal mark for the third time in his NHL career, and he assisted on the Flames' lone goal Saturday in Vancouver.

Bahl, who was born on the West Coast but grew up in Ontario, has spent 151 of his prior 299 games in a Flames uniform after being traded by New Jersey along with the first-round pick that was used to select North Dakota captain Cole Reschny. He signed a six-year contract extension with the Flames in June of 2025. Thirty-eight of his 62 career points have come while wearing the Flaming C.

5. Players To Watch