1. No Welcome Mats
The best part about visiting (insert town name here) is seeing it in your rear-view mirror.
It's a line that's described many a place across the annals of time, but for opponents of the Flames, it's starting to become a familiar refrain when recalling recent games at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
The 'Dome cookin' has been top-tier - Calgary's claimed 12 of a possible 14 points at home in December - and they'll seek out two more tonight when the Bruins stop by for the first of their two games this season in Wild Rose Country. GET TICKETS
Saturday against Edmonton, there was energy, there was a buzz. And the crowd pop for Ryan Lomberg's second-period go-ahead goal was, in a word, palpable.
The duo of Lomberg and Adam Klapka were Bash Brothers against the Oilers, but they chipped in offensively, too. In addition to Lomberg's goal, Klapka snagged an assist, three shots on goal while finishing the night +3.
Not to mention thunderous checks on Edmonton d-men Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm that drew raucous cheers from the C of Red.
After a quick practice session Sunday at WinSport, the big Czech grinned ear-to-ear when asked about the lack of hospitality shown by he and his Flames mates of late.
"I don’t think that the (opposing) teams likes to go to the Saddledome," he said. "I mean, for me, I love it. It's a nice rink, the ice is awesome and I think I'm used to it a lot.
"I talk to other guys from other teams, they don't really like to go to the Saddledome. So that's probably why we have that much success there."
Flames Head Coach Ryan Huska suggested post-game Saturday that Klapka's effort against the Oilers might just have been his best game in a Calgary uniform. His teammates thought so, too, awarding him the Red Blazer that gets doled out in the dressing room after wins.
If that's to become a regular thing, though, the team might need to find a tailor.
"It's for small people. It's not for me," the 6-foot-8 winger quipped when asked about the fit. "I'm happy I got it, you know, first time.
"I enjoy it and yeah, I just want to continue to play how I did."
And that means doing whatever it takes to be a presence during every shift. Whether it's bowling over opponents, or setting up Yegor Sharangovich for a first-period snipe when pressed into a bit of additional ice-time.
"If I get the time to play in the top nine, I mean, I wanna do my best," said Klapka, who drew a few top-six shifts when Joel Farabee exited Saturday's contest in the first period. "I tried (Saturday), and yeah, whenever I get a chance, I'm gonna try to do my best."
Klapka is earnest. He's hard-working, and he embodies that blue-collar attitude this Flames team needs to win games.
As fun as Saturday's Battle of Alberta victory was, Klapka and Co. are already on to the next.
"Yeah, it was fun, but it's the next day," he said Sunday. "The next game's coming tomorrow, so it's a new day, new opportunities.
"We're gonna just play the same way."
