New Year's Eve Bash

The captain got it started.

The powerplay broke it open.

And the Flames are back to the .500 mark as we turn the calendar to 2026 following an emphatic 5-1 win over the Flyers Wednesday at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Mikael Backlund was one of five Calgary goal-getters - joined by Jonathan Huberdeau, Rasmus Andersson, Yegor Sharangovich and Connor Zary - while Matt Coronato and MacKenzie Weegar both chipped in with a pair of assists as the Flames extended their home winning streak to five games.

Calgary finished the month of December with a 9-4-0 record, and post-game, Backlund credited the work his teammates have put in to get back in the thick of things in the Western Conference.

"The boys have been digging in, kept believing and just been working hard and staying focused on what’s ahead," he said. "I give a lot of credit to all my teammates, they’ve worked really hard.

"It feels good, winning is fun. We’ve been playing solid at home and we’ve got to keep doing that."

"I’ve said a lot in the past about (how) our older players are the ones that drive our team," Head Coach Ryan Huska added.
"They don’t waver.

"The push from those older guys has allowed us to get to this position. Now we’ve got to keep going."

There wasn’t much room to move for either side in period one, the tight-checking opening frame resulted in only seven shots on goal combined. But Calgary made good on its best chance of the period, when Coronato spotted a trailing Backlund on an odd-man rush.

The young Flame sifted the puck back to the captain at the top of the left circle, allowing Backlund to step into a slapper that sailed past the glove hand of Flyers starter Samuel Ersson.

The offence kept coming into period two. Off a won face-off at the three-minute mark, Huberdeau snuck back to the right point, grabbed a pass from MacKenzie Weegar and sent a long-range wrister goalward that got through net-front traffic and into the Philadelphia net.

The Flyers answered back - or thought they did - 64 seconds later when a Nick Seeler shot got past a slew of bodies and Wolf, but the goal was overturned after the Flames challenged for goaltender interference. Philadelphia did get one back before the midpoint of the period, Travis Konecny getting credit after a loose puck in the crease got poked over the line.

Then, it was time for the Calgary powerplay to go to work.

And work it did, cashing in twice before the second period was through.

Andersson ripped a one-timer into the top corner after a silky setup from Zary on a Flames two-man advantage, before Sharangovich added to the Calgary lead at 17:52, converting from the left circle after a spell of persistent pressure around the Flyers net.

Zary added to the onslaught in the third, grabbing a loose puck at the goalline off a turnover caused by linemate Ryan Lomberg. He stepped out front and quickly snapped the puck over Ersson's right shoulder for his sixth goal of the season, extending the Calgary lead to 5-1.

Wolf stopped all 10 shots he faced in the final frame, finishing the evening with 25 saves. His best came midway through the second, when he got his glove to an Owen Tippett point-blank chance after the Flyers forward was sprung in on a partial break.

The Lineup:

FORWARDS

Yegor Sharangovich - Nazem Kadri - Joel Farabee

Blake Coleman - Mikael Backlund - Matt Coronato

Jonathan Huberdeau - Morgan Frost - Connor Zary

Ryan Lomberg - Justin Kirkland - Adam Klapka

DEFENCE

Yan Kuznetsov - MacKenzie Weegar

Kevin Bahl - Rasmus Andersson

Joel Hanley - Hunter Brzustewicz

GOALTENDERS

Dustin Wolf - starter

Devin Cooley

They Said It:

The Numbers Game:

Shots: CGY 25, PHI 26

Powerplay: CGY 2-3, PHI 0-2

Faceoffs: CGY 50.9%, PHI 49.1%

Hits: CGY 15, PHI 22

Blocked Shots: CGY 15, PHI 18

5-on-5 Scoring Chances: CGY 27, PHI 25

5-on-5 High-Danger Scoring Chances: CGY 8, PHI 10

Up Next:

The homestand continues Saturday evening when the Nashville Predators pay their lone visit of the regular season to the Scotiabank Saddledome. Puck drop is at 5 p.m. MT. GET TICKETS