5 Things - Flames vs. Kings

1. Last Dance

Six months and eight days after it began up Highway 2, the Flames season will draw to a close tonight, with a Thursday tilt against the Kings beneath the iconic roof of the Scotiabank Saddledome. GET TICKETS

One last chance for hockey hugs. One last chance to put on a show for the C of Red.

One more opportunity for last impressions, with the off-season right around the corner. 

It's been a season of change. Seven players who took part in the season-opener in Edmonton are either injured, in the AHL or with other NHL clubs. In their place, a growing youth movement.

Matvei Gridin was part of that opening-night roster, and he scored his first NHL goal in Game 1, too. But in the months since, he's turned into a legitimate even-strength and powerplay threat, while fellow rookie Zayne Parekh has played the best hockey of his young NHL career over the past couple of weeks.

Yan Kuznetsov won't play this evening, but his ascent into a top-four defenceman - seemingly since being recalled from the AHL's Wranglers - is another encouraging sign.

Then there's Devin Cooley, who might be the biggest surprise of this season in the Stampede City. The Masterton nominee rediscovered his game over the summer and has gone on to solidify the Flames crease with Dustin Wolf, posting a .909 save percentage along the way that ranks him in the top 10 among NHL netminders.

To a man, this group is disappointed not to have built on their playoff near-miss from a season ago. But from captain Mikael Backlund on down, they've worked. They've worn the crest with pride.

This evening, they'll get one more crack at that win column before saying 'Happy Trails' for the summer.

2. Know Your Enemy

This evening's regular-season finale is an important game for the Kings, who wake up holding the second Wild Card berth in the Western Conference.

With a win - and some help on the out-of-town scoreboard - Los Angeles could finish as high as second place in the Pacific Division, which would also help the Kings avoid a first-round playoff matchup against the Presidents Trophy-winning Avalanche.

L.A. comes to town with a 6-0-2 record over their last eight games, with their most recent outing coming in the form of a 4-3 overtime setback Tuesday in Vancouver. Quinton Byfield, Adrian Kempe and Alex Laferriere had the goals for the Kings at Rogers Arena, while Jake DeBrusk played hero for the home side in extra time. 

But as big as the night could be in the standings for L.A., this evening's game is a chance to celebrate Anze Kopitar, too. The Kings captain will play the final regular-season game of his NHL career at the Scotiabank Saddledome, tying a bow on a 20-year run that has seen the future Hall of Famer spend his entire NHL tenure with Los Angeles, winning a pair of Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014.

Across the League, teams have been saluting Kopitar on his exceptional career. No doubt, that will continue at the 'Dome tonight.

3. Fast Facts

2025-26 Season Series

The Flames and Kings have met three times previously this season, with Calgary holding a 2-1-0 record to date in the 2025-26 season set. Morgan Frost scored the overtime winner in the first meeting, a 2-1 Flames victory at L.A. Dec. 13, before the Kings returned the favour with a 2-0 shutout win Feb. 28.

The most recent encounter saw Yegor Sharangovich notch the decider in a shootout Mar. 24 at the Scotiabank Saddledome, all part of a 3-2 Calgary triumph.

Did You Know?

Matvei Gridin enters play Thursday one point shy of 20 on the season, and with a goal or an assist against L.A., he could become just the fifth Flames skater in the past two decades to reach 20 points in a campaign while aged 20 or younger.

He'd join a list that includes Sam Bennett, Sean Monahan (2x), Dion Phaneuf and Matthew Tkachuk.

4. They Said It

Watch this space for all the chatter from Thursday's morning skate!

5. Players To Watch

Flames - Joel Farabee

Farabee has reached the 20-goal mark on two previous occasions in his NHL career (both times with the Flyers), and enters Thursday's finale with 19 tallies on the campaign.

He's one of three Calgary skaters to have dressed in all 81 regular-season contests entering tonight; Mikael Backlund and Morgan Frost are the others.

Farabee is looking to become the third Flame to reach 20 goals this season, after Frost and Blake Coleman did so earlier this month.

Kings - Anze Kopitar

Next stop: the post-season. After that: the Hall of Fame.

Kopitar's final regular season contest in the NHL goes Thursday at the 'Dome, the last in a 20-season run that's seen the Slovenian star become Los Angeles' career scoring leader with 1,316 points.

Among active players, Kopitar's 75 appearances rank third in the NHL (Brent Burns and Corey Perry have faced Calgary on more occasions), while his 61 points against the Flames are fourth-most among active skaters.