5 Things - Flames @ Blackhawks

1. Against The Wind

Don McLean once mused that February made him shiver with every paper he delivered.

It's still January, of course, but the air in Chicago had a real bite when the Flames landed here Tuesday evening, an Alberta-esque chill that carried through Wednesday with the 'feels like' temperature on the Weather app dipping below -20 degrees Celsius.

But what better way to combat the cold than with a bit of fire on ice?

The Flames were ever so close to collecting at least a hard-earned point two nights ago in Columbus, in a game that wound up slipping through their fingers like grains of sand along Lake Michigan. But tonight, on Day 10 of this lengthy road swing, the goal is to finish the trip on a strong note, to head home ahead of a five-game homestand with some good feelings within the group.

"It’s hard to win on the road," Head Coach Ryan Huska said after the 5-3 setback to the Blue Jackets. "Our team needs a full load of guys to win on the road, and play a certain style of game.

"And that’s what we’re going to have to do when we get to Chicago."

But Huska has his powerplay to thank for the three goals in Columbus. Simply put, they kept things simple, and ended up scoring on each of their three opportunities.

Morgan Frost and Mikael Backlund's markers were scored from just outside the crease, while Rasmus Andersson also chipped in with a powerplay point blast that at the time, evened Tuesday's game at 2-2.

For Huska, the success on the man-advantage came down to hard work.

"The guys that scored those goals were working, that’s pretty much it," he said. "They outworked a penalty-kill, I thought, when they were on the ice.

"They used each other the right way and they kept it very simple."

But as the Flames prepare to wind down their season series with Chicago, memories from two tough November outings persist.

As do lessons from Tuesday's loss.

That certain style of game - for Mikael Backlund - involves being ready right off the hop. And in two meetings against the Blackhawks this season, Calgary has been outscored 2-0 in the first period.

"We gotta have a better start, come out with more urgency, hunger, and win more battles in the first period," said Backlund, when asked his thoughts on how to finish the five-game trip on the front foot. "Last time in Chicago, we weren’t nearly as good as we can be.

"We’ve got to come out with a really good start. We’ve lost two to them, so it’s time to win against them."

2. Know Your Enemy

The Blackhawks enter play three points ahead of the Flames in the Western Conference standings, and they've been idle since a 4-1 home setback to the Oilers Monday evening. Tyler Bertuzzi's third-period goal - his 24th of the campaign - stood up as the lone Chicago marker as the Blackhawks suffered just their second regulation loss in their past eight games.

"My whole take on the game was the first 15 minutes they dominated us,” Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill told reporters post-game. "The first five minutes of the second they took it to us. Spencer (Knight) kept us in it through that stretch. I thought the last five of the first and the rest of the game were not bad, and then we were really good in the third.

"Unfortunately, a game isn’t 40 minutes long, it’s 60. We’ve talked about it being an every night league, and part of an every night league is 60-minute games, sometimes 65, and you have to make sure you’re as close to your best as you can. Unfortunately, to start the game, we weren’t nearly close to our best. You’re not going to be perfect every night, but you have to be better than that, and they were on top of their game, for sure. They were flying."

Several members of Blashill's group have been dealing with illness recently, though, including Knight, who made 33 saves Monday. Connor Bedard (who leads the team with 46 points despite missing 13 games with injury and illness) did not dress, though he did skate Wednesday (see more on Bedard below).

A real bright spot for Blashill's young Blackhawks group has been their penalty-kill, in particular on home ice. Chicago boasts the League's best home PK, running at a rate of 87.8%.

3. Fast Facts

2025-26 Season Series

The Flames will go in search of their first win in this year's season series with the Blackhawks this evening.

Chicago scored a 4-0 win in the opener Nov. 7 in Calgary, then followed that up with a 5-2 victory in the Land of Lincoln 11 days later.

Did You Know?

With his goal Tuesday night in Columbus, Rasmus Andersson became just the third Flames defenceman in the last decade and a half to record consecutive campaigns with 10 or more goals.

He notched 11 markers during the 2024-25 campaign, and Tuesday's powerplay marker was the Swedish rearguard's 10th goal of the 2025-26 campaign.

Mark Giordano registered six straight seasons with double-digit goal totals from 2013-14 through 2018-19 (reaching a high-water mark of 21 during the 2015-16 season), while Dougie Hamilton achieved the feat in three straight seasons from 2015-16 through 2017-18.

4. Second City Firsts

The United Center has provided many a memory since opening in the mid-90s, and we aren't just talking about the three-peat achieved by the NBA's Bulls from 1996 through 1998.

Flames netminder Devin Cooley appeared in his first NHL game in Chicago as a member of the San Jose Sharks in March of 2024, making 26 saves in a 5-2 Blackhawks win.

Joel Farabee and Brayden Pachal also recorded their first NHL points here, too. Farabee's came in the form of an assist while with the Philadelphia Flyers in October of 2019, while Pachal put up a helper for his first career point during a Vegas Golden Knights visit to the Windy City in December of 2022.

5. Players To Watch

Flames - Morgan Frost

Frost finished Tuesday's game in Columbus with a goal and an assist, his powerplay marker the result of crashing the net and seeking out a rebound.

And he got moved up the lineup in the third period against the Blue Jackets, too. After starting Tuesday's game on a line with Connor Zary and Adam Klapka, he spent his even-strength shifts on the top line alongside Jonathan Huberdeau and longtime teammate Joel Farabee.

He has 34 career assists against Central Division opponents, his most against any of the NHL's eight-team loops.

Blackhawks - Connor Bedard

Bedard missed Monday's win over the Oilers with a stomach bug, but he returned to practice Wednesday on a line with Gavin Greene and Andre Burakovsky.

And he's enjoyed facing the Flames so far this season. He had four points in Chicago's lone visit to the Scotiabank Saddledome, then followed that up with a hat-trick in the last meeting between the two sides Nov. 18.