2023-24 Regular Season, Game 26: Hurricanes at Calgary Flames (Pregame)

The first half of the back-to-back is going to be one the Carolina Hurricanes want to forget about. Facing the red-hot Oilers in Edmonton on Wednesday night, the Canes came out flat and never recovered. Ryan McLeod and Mattias Ekholm scored in the first 41 seconds of the contest, and Zach Hyman added one less than six minutes in to put an end to Pyotr Kochetkov's night after just six shots. Hyman scored his second of the period late to make it 4-0 through 20 minutes. Former Hurricane Warren Foegele poured it on in the second, scoring on a breakaway to make it a five-goal game. Jordan Staal broke the shutout early in the third period to get the Canes on the board, but Hyman finished a beautiful pass from Connor McDavid to complete the hat trick. McDavid, Hyman, and Mattias Janmark finished with three points each, Foegele and Evan Bouchard each had a pair of points, and Stuart Skinner stopped 39 shots as the Oilers cruised to a 6-1 win. 

The Opponent: Calgary Flames (10-12-3, 23 Points- 4th in the Pacific Division)

There has been a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Calgary Flames for the last year. It all began when they traded superstar Matthew Tkachuk to the Panthers and allowed Johnny Gaudreau to walk during free agency. Jonathan Huberdeau underperformed in his first season, Gaudreau's presence was missed, and the goaltending struggled as the Flames missed the postseason and fired Daryl Sutter one year after winning the Jack Adams Award. They traded last year's leading scorer, Tyler Toffoli, in the offseason and failed to make any big decisions on their pending UFAs, like Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin, and Chris Tanev. It didn't help that they came out of the gates starting 2-7-1 this season. They've started to turn things around, going 8-3-2 over their next 13 games. However, they've already made one in-season deal, trading Nikita Zadorov to Vancouver. After starting their six-game homestand with overtime wins over Vegas and Dallas, the Flames have lost two straight. They dropped a 5-2 decision to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night as the Wild continue to turn their season around. The Flames sit in fourth place in the division but are four points out of a Wild Card spot. The Flames are a veteran-led team. Their top nine scorers are 27 or older. Lindholm leads the way with seven goals and 17 points. Nazem Kadri isn't far behind with 16. If there's one positive to throw their way, the Flames get contributions from across the lineup. They aren't a top-heavy team. 11 players have at least 11 points. They were dealt a tough blow with Jacob Markstrom's recent finger injury, so they've called up top prospect Dustin Wolf. He and rookie Connor Zary are the future of the organization as they search for an identity. 

Last Season's Meetings- The teams split their two meetings a year ago, with the home teams winning one-goal games. They met very early in the season in Calgary. The Canes stormed out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Sebastian Aho and Calvin de Haan. Nazem Kadri scored on the power play, and Brett Ritchie tied it with a weak goal in the second period. Neither side would score in the third period, ensuring both teams earned a point. Calgary took the second point as Tyler Toffoli scored in overtime for a 3-2 win. The season series ended in Raleigh right after Thanksgiving. Seth Jarvis opened the scoring, but Adam Ruzicka scored on the power play to tie it. Martin Necas answered for the Canes on the man advantage, but Calgary was ready to answer again as Toffoli tied it. Brent Burns would score the deciding goal in the third period, helping the Canes to a 3-2 win in the second half of a back-to-back. 

Stories of the Night

1. Forget Last Night

Everyone has one night that they regret and want to forget forever. It might be a little dramatic, but the Canes need to forget last night as quickly as they can. It might be a great thing that they're playing 24 hours after a bad loss. They're 2-1-0 in the second half of a back-to-back this season. Both wins were shutouts, too. The decision in the net will be an interesting one. Pyotr Kochetkov played less than six minutes, but Antti Raanta was strong in his relief appearance. It's also an important night for the offense. They've only scored twice in two games on this trip, so it's time for them to put in a five or six-goal effort. The sooner we forget the Edmonton game, the better off we'll all be. 

2. 2020 1st Rounders Go at It

It's still very early, but the 1st Round of the 2020 NHL Draft is shaping up to be a very good one. The top two picks are starting to turn it around. The Senators took two stars. Among those 31 picks, the Canes and Flames took incredible young talents in Seth Jarvis and Connor Zary. Jarvis has been a big part of the Hurricanes for three seasons, turning in a breakout season through 25 games. He's fifth in the class in goals (40), points (98), and games played (175). Zary was taken 11 picks after Jarvis and is just starting to cut his teeth in the NHL. He's only played 15 games, but he has 11 points for Calgary this season. They each have the potential to impact their teams for the foreseeable future, and we'll get to see them go at it tonight. 

3. A Wolf in Flames Colors

Calgary hasn't announced their starting goalie for tonight's game, but I'm kind of hoping we get to see Dustin Wolf. The Flames' rookie is one of the best goalie prospects in the world, winning AHL MVP and Goalie of the Year honors last season. He's only made three NHL appearances, including two this season. He relieved Dan Vladar on Tuesday night in Calgary's loss to Minnesota. Just like the Canes,  you could make a case for either goalie to start. I'm putting my money on seeing Wolf get the start.