5 Things - Flames @ Ducks

1. Turn Around

As far as back-to-back affairs go, the trip from Los Angeles to Orange County is one of the less cumbersome ones.

And that's what the Flames will face as they open up a gauntlet March schedule this evening, skating in their third and final contest of this California road swing in Anaheim.

Calgary will play 16 times over the next 30 days, touching the Pacific, Mountain and Eastern time zones along the way. But for Head Coach Ryan Huska, the focus is - as always - on the next opponent at hand.

Even if post-game Saturday at Crypto.com Arena, everyone in Flames silks was left lamenting one that got away.

"I thought we were fine, but when you're in close games, you've got to find another level," Huska said of the 2-0 defeat that dropped Calgary to 1-1-0 on its current road swing. "That's, to me, what it looked like from the bench, where you have a chance to grab a game when it's close, and we weren't able to do that,

"Whether that's scoring a goal, or making a better decision with the puck that led to their goal that they scored 5-on-5, those are the little things that I think were the difference in the game."

The frustration of Saturday's setback mirrored the last time Calgary suffered a shutout defeat - a 1-0 OT loss Nov. 30 at Carolina - and as the calendar flips to March, so too comes an opportunity to make amends. 

For captain Mikael Backlund, who had four shot attempts and a block over 16:29 of work Saturday, the key against the Ducks starts with consistency.

"Close game, but I didn't think we played our best game," Backlund said of the L.A. loss. "Too up and down just throughout the game, too inconsistent.

"We know we can play better."

A win in Anaheim would bring four of six points on the trip. 

And as the March schedule kicks into gear in earnest, that might just be something to build upon.

2. Know Your Enemy

The Ducks come into Sunday's game seeking a fifth straight win, with their most recent triumph coming on home ice Friday in the form of a 5-4 overtime victory over the Winnipeg Jets.

Chris Kreider notched the extra-time decider, while rookie Beckett Sennecke finished the contest with three assists.

It's been a season of growth in Orange County. The young Ducks sit second in the Pacific Division with 67 points, as Anaheim looks to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in eight years.

And lately, they're scoring in bunches. The Ducks have tallied four or more goals in four straight games - a run that topped out with a cool half-dozen in their return from the Olympic break Wednesday night against Edmonton.

Friday against Winnipeg, Anaheim rallied from a two-goal, third-period deficit to secure the two points.

“We just have that belief in ourselves that we're never out of it," Sennecke told reporters Friday. "That's kind of the biggest thing in these comeback wins is we never think we're out of it, and we know we can score goals.”

Cutter Gauthier - who coincidentally scored the overtime winner in Calgary's last visit to Anaheim in April - leads the team with 26 goals and 50 points.

The Ducks have won 13 of the 16 games they've played this season which have progressed past regulation time.

3. Fast Facts

2025-26 Season Series

This evening's game marks the second of four meetings in 2025-26 between the Flames and Ducks, and the first in Orange County.

Anaheim scored a 4-3 overtime win at the Scotiabank Saddledome Jan. 25, with Jonathan Huberdeau, Hunter Brzustewicz and Matt Coronato counting the Calgary goals.

The Ducks will visit the 'Dome one more time Mar. 26 before the season set wraps up in SoCal Apr. 4.

Did You Know?

Saturday's game in Los Angeles marked the first time for the Flames this season in which neither team received a powerplay opportunity. 

Despite that, Calgary comes into Sunday's tilt holding the NHL's third-best penalty-kill since Dec. 29, operating at an 88.1% clip over that span.

4. Lineup Notes

The Flames ran with the same group of 12 forwards Saturday in Los Angeles as they did in Thursday's road-trip opener in San Jose, while Kevin Bahl and Yan Kuznetsov swapped pairings on the blue line. 

Dustin Wolf has made 69 saves on the trip over his two starts, and Head Coach Ryan Huska alluded to using both of his netminders - Wolf and Devin Cooley - over the course of this three-game, Golden State series.

Here's how Calgary lined up Saturday evening against the Kings:

FORWARDS

Yegor Sharangovich - Mikael Backlund - Matt Coronato

Connor Zary - Nazem Kadri - Joel Farabee

Blake Coleman - Morgan Frost - Matvei Gridin

Martin Pospisil - John Beecher - Adam Klapka

DEFENCE

Kevin Bahl - MacKenzie Weegar

Yan Kuznetsov - Zach Whitecloud

Joel Hanley - Zayne Parekh

GOALTENDERS

Dustin Wolf - starter

Devin Cooley

5. Players To Watch

Flames - Adam Klapka

The big fella was just about everywhere Saturday, and was perhaps unlucky not to find the scoresheet.

Klapka finished the night with seven shot attempts and a team-high seven hits, also chipping in with two blocked shots along the way.

Saturday's contest was also the eighth time this season the gritty winger has earned 13:45 of ice-time or more in a game.

Ducks - Beckett Sennecke

It's been a pretty good week for the former No. 3 pick. Sennecke had a goal Wednesday against the Oilers, then tacked on three assists in Friday's OT triumph over the Jets.

Oh, and he and Leo Carlsson were spotted courtside Thursday night at an LA Clippers game, too.

Sennecke's 48 points were (as of Saturday afternoon) tops among NHL rookies, and he had his first NHL hat-trick in the first meeting of the season with the Flames Jan. 25 at the Scotiabank Saddledome.