CALGARY FLAMES NOTES:
FLAMES LAST GAME RECAP
DECEMBER 16, 2022 – ST. LOUIS BLUES [5] vs. CALGARY FLAMES [2]
The Calgary Flames finished off a mini two-game homestand on Friday night against the St. Louis Blues. The Blues struck first with Ivan Barbashev scoring the games opening goal just 4:07 into the contest, but later in the frame, Connor Mackey would net his first of the season for the Flames and the two teams would skate into the first intermission tied at one. In the second Jordan Kyrou would bury the only goal of the period and through 40 it was 2-1 Blues. Pavel Buchnevich recorded his 10th of the season just under four minutes into the third to extend the Blues lead to two, but later in the period Connor Mackey would strike again for Calgary, scoring his second of the game for his first NHL multi-goal game, drawing the Flames within one. The Blues would quickly restore their two-goal lead with Brandon Saad scoring just over a Minute later. Kyrou would score his second of the night in the late stages of the game, and the Blues won 5-2.
CGY GOAL SCORERS: Mackey (1,2)
GOALIE: Markstrom (19/24, .792 Sv%)
PP: 0/3 (0%)
PK: 1/2 (50%)
FLAMES LAST FIVE RESULTS, RECORD: 0-2-3
DATE RESULT GWG CGY GOALIE OPP. GOALIE
December 16, 2022 STL [5] vs. CGY [2] Buchnevich Markstrom Greiss
December 14, 2022 VAN [4] vs. CGY 3 Kuzmenko* Markstrom Martin
December 12, 2022 CGY [1] at MTL 2 Dach* Markstrom Allen
December 10, 2022 CGY [4] at TOR 5 Marner Vladar Murray
December 9, 2022 CGY [1] at CBJ [3] Robinson Markstrom Korpisalo/ Merzlikins
*shootout winning goal
FLAMES UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
DATE TIME
(MST) OPPONENT VENUE
December 18, 2022 8:00pm at San Jose Sharks SAP Center
December 20, 2022 8:30pm at San Jose Sharks SAP Center
December 22, 2022 8:30pm at Los Angeles Kings Cryto.com Arena
December 23, 2022 8:30pm at Anaheim Ducks Honda Center
December 27, 2022 7:00pm vs. Edmonton Oilers Scotiabank Saddledome
TONIGHTS STORYLINES & STATS
This is the first of four matchups this season between the Flames and Sharks. The Flames went 1-3-0 against San Jose in their four meetings last season. This is a Pacific Division Matchup; The Flames have an overall record of 3-2-1 against Pacific Division opponents this season and a record of 7-4-1 against Western Conference opponents.
Calgary Flames: Media Notes
LAST SEASON AGAINST SAN JOSE:
The Flames and Sharks squared off four times last season, with the Flames going 1-3-0 against their Pacific Division opponent. Their first meeting came on November 9th at the Saddledome where Andrew Mangiapane scored the Flames lone goal in a 3-1 loss. They met again in San Jose just under a month later where Adam Ruzicka scored his first NHL goal at the SAP Center in a 5-3 defeat. The teams wouldn’t see each other again until the new year where the Flames fell in Calgary in the first meeting of 2022, but in their final matchup in San Jose, Elias Lindholm had two goals to help the Flames knock off the Sharks 4-2.
HUBERDEAU 700:
Flames forward Jonathan Huberdeau skated in his 699th career game in the NHL on Friday night and will skate in game number 700 tonight in San Jose. Huberdeau was drafted third overall in 2011 by the Florida Panthers and skated in a franchise leading 671 games with the Panthers. He also leads the Florida Panthers franchise in assists (415), points (613) and even strength goals (150). Since being acquired by Calgary, Huberdeau has five goals and 13 assists for 18 points so far this season.
CONNOR MACKEY:
Connor Mackey scored two goals on Friday night against St. Louis for the first time in his NHL career, making him the second Mackey to record a multi-goal game in the NHL. His father, David Mackey, had one multi-goal game in his NHL career on January 18th 1990 against the Quebec Nordics as a member of the Minnesota North Stars in a 7-4 win for the North Stars. Connor Mackey matched that feat 12,020 days later and his first goal of the game came 576 days after his previous NHL goal on May 19, 2021.
DUBE’S HELPERS:
Dillon Dube had two assists on Friday night against St. Louis for the second straight game. Dube also recorded two assists on Wednesday night against the Canucks and has had a pair of helpers three times this season with the other coming on November 29th against the Panthers. The Golden, BC native has five assists over his last four games and is just three assists shy of matching his career high (14) which he set last season. Dube’s second assist was the 50th of his NHL career and his 91st NHL point.
LOOK BACKS AT IT:
Mikael Backlund will be skating in his 900th regular season and playoff game, all as a member of the Calgary Flames. Backlund has skated in 857 games in the regular season, and an additional 42 games in the playoffs which ranks him third in Flames franchise history trailing Jarome Iginla (1273) and Mark Giordano (972). Backlund passed Al MacInnis when he skated in his 899th regular season and playoff game with the Flames on Friday night against the Blues. The Vasteras, SWE native has 172 goals and 282 assists for 454 points in the regular season and 12 goals with 10 assists for 22 points in the playoffs.
DID YOU KNOW?
Adam Ruzicka scored his first NHL goal on December 7th, 2021 at the SAP Center against the Sharks. MacKenzie Weegar and Timo Meier were teammates on the Halifax Mooseheads during the 2013-14 season.
CALGARY FLAMES vs. SAN JOSE SHARKS
ALL-TIME HOME AWAY L10 STRK
CGY vs. SJS 65-53-8-6 34-24-4-3 31-29-4-3 4-6-0 W1
GAME INFO:
Calgary Flames vs. San Jose Sharks
7:00pm PT
SAP Center
TV: Sportsnet West
Radio: Sportsnet Fan 960
2022-23 Season Series: 0-0-0 (Home: 0-0-0, Road 0-0-0)
Dec. 18, 2022 – CGY at SJS
Dec. 20, 2022 – CGY at SJS
Mar. 25, 2023 – SJS at CGY
Apr. 12, 2023 – SJS at CGY
2021-22 Season Record vs. SJS: 1-3-0 (Home: 0-2-0, Road: 1-1-0)
Last Home Win vs. SJS: December 31, 2018 – San Jose [5] vs. Calgary [8]
Last Road Win @ SJS: April 7, 2022 – Calgary [4] at San Jose [2]
Last Home Loss vs. SJS: March 22, 2022 – San Jose [4] vs. Calgary [3]
Last Road Loss @ SJS: December 7, 2021 – Calgary [3] at San Jose [5]
2022-23 CALGARY FLAMES
FLAMES RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
Nov. 15 – recalled Dennis Gilbert (D) from Calgary (AHL): reassigned (D) Nick DeSimone to Calgary (AHL)
Nov. 27 – reassigned Dennis Gilbert (D) to Calgary (AHL)
Dec. 8 – placed Kevin Rooney (F) on waivers; cleared waivers
Dec. 8 – recalled Matthew Phillips (F) from Calgary (AHL)
Dec. 9 – recalled Radim Zohorna (F) from Calgary (AHL)
FLAMES RECENT INJURIES (Total man games lost – 24)
Noah Hanifin – illness (1 game: Oct. 21)
Chris Tanev – upper-body (5 games: Nov. 3 – Nov. 10)
Jonathan Huberdeau – upper-body (3 games: Nov. 8 – Nov. 12)
Michael Stone – lower-body (11 games: Nov. 7 – Nov. 25)
MacKenzie Weegar – non-COVID illness (1 game: Dec. 12)
Elias Lindholm – upper-body injury (1 game: Dec. 12)
Chris Tanev – upper-body injury (2 games: Dec. 14 – Dec. 16)
SAN JOSE SHARKS NOTES:
LAST GAME
Game 32 – 12/17 – SJS 2 at LAK 3 SO…Timo Meier (1g, 1a) scored his team-leading 15th goal of the season to move into sole
possession of 10th on San Jose’s all-time points list. Marc-Edouard Vlasic appeared in his 1,193rd game, good for fifth most by a
defenseman with one franchise in NHL history. Netminder James Reimer saved 39 of 41 in his second consecutive start.
SJ Goals: Meier (15 pp), Labanc (7)
SF: 25
SA: 41
SJ PP: 1/3
SJ PK: 3/4
W: Copley
SOL: Reimer
RECENT TRANSCACTIONS
12/12 Activated G James Reimer off IR; Assigned G Eetu Makiniemi to the San Jose Barracuda
12/7 Activated F Nico Sturm off IR
12/6 Placed F Matt Nieto on IR; recalled F C.J. Suess from the San Jose Barracuda
12/6 Assigned G Aaron Dell to the San Jose Barracuda; recalled G Eetu Makiniemi from the San Jose Barracuda
12/1 Assigned F Jeff Viel to the San Jose Barracuda
TONIGHT’S OPPONENT: CALGARY FLAMES
The Sharks have recorded points in four consecutive games (2-0-2) entering tonight’s contest, where they will be facing the Calgary Flames in the first of two consecutive meetings. Flames forward Adam Ruzicka has emerged as a scoring threat this season, with 17 points (6g, 11a) in 21 games, including eight points (1g, 7a) in nine December contests. The Flames have posted strong penalty kill (81.2%, seventh) and shot differential (+6.0, fourth) numbers this season. San Jose earned a 3-1-0 record against the Flames last season and were led in scoring by Logan Couture (4g, 2a, three-point night on Dec. 7). Toma Hertl (4g, 1a) registered the Sharks first hat trick of the 2021-22 campaign in a Dec. 7 home tilt against the Flames. Calgary’s two leading scorers against the Sharks last season are no longer with the club, with Matthew Tkachuk (1g, 5a) having been traded to Florida and Johnny Gaudreau (2g, 3a) signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets
STORYLINES
IN RARE COMPANY…Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson continues to lead NHL defensemen in goals and points and stands as one of two defensemen this season to cross the 10-goal threshold (other: Rasmus Dahlin). By earning one point within his next eight games, Karlsson can become the fastest defenseman to reach 40 points in a season in franchise history, eclipsing Brent Burns’ 41-game requirement set three separate times (2015-16, 2016-17, 2018-19). The fewest games Karlsson has needed to reach 40 points in a season are 36 games during the 2015-16 season (w/ OTT). In November, Karlsson became the first Sharks defenseman to reach 20 points in a calendar month with a position-leading 21 points (6g, 15a) in just 15 games. He has factored into 39 of 97 goals scored for San Jose this season (40.2%). Per NHL PR, the highest-ever rate in the NHL’s modern era (since the 1943-44 season) at which a defenseman factored into team goals for a season was Bobby Orr at 43.3% in 1969-70.
A BENNING BONANZA…Matt Benning ranks second among all Sharks defensemen in points since Nov. 21 with nine assists in 12 games. He ranks fifth in even strength points (eight) by NHL defensemen in the span. Benning matched the longest point streak of his career with a point in three straight contests from Dec. 4 thru Dec. 9 (0g, 4a). His 11 points at the 30-game mark were the most through the first 30 games of a season in his career and he is on pace to set career highs in assists, points and time on ice.
HERTL HEATING UP…Tomas Hertl scored both of San Jose’s goals in their 2-5 loss in Ottawa on Dec. 3, four days after potting a pair in a shutout win over Montreal. The forward has now found the scoresheet in 17 of the past 23 games dating back to Oct. 27 with eight multi-point efforts and a team-leading +7 rating in that span. Hertl registered a season-high three points in San Jose’s Nov. 5 game against the Anaheim Ducks. He had goals in three consecutive contests for the first time this season from Nov. 5 thru 11 and notched his 400th career NHL point on November 11 with an assist. His .94 point-per-game pace (30 in 32) this season is the second highest single-season pace of his career.
IT’S TIMO TIME…Timo Meier ranks third on the Sharks with 27 points and leads the team with 14 goals since Nov. 1. The winger took sole possession of 10th on the Sharks all-time list in goals with a strike on Nov. 10 and took sole possession of 10th on the Sharks all-time points list with a goal on Dec. 17. Meier ranks first on the Sharks with 15 markers on the season. He logged a five-game goal-scoring streak (Nov. 1 thru Nov. 11, 6g) and found the back of the net in eight of 15 November games. The Swiss forward currently ranks second in the NHL with 148 shots on goal. Last season, Meier rifled off 326 shots on net, the most by any Sharks forward (third most by a Sharks player) in a single season.
CAPTAIN COUTURE…Logan Couture took the team goal-scoring lead with his 14th of the season on Dec. 7 against Vancouver, breaking a tie with Timo Meier, which was re-established two days later. Couture’s second period goal was the Sharks first shorthanded tally this season and moved Couture into a tie with Owen Nolan and Marco Sturm (14) for second most shorthanded goals in franchise history. Since debuting in the 2009-10 season, the center ranks T-14th in shorthanded goals and T-15th in shorthanded points among League skaters. The captain posted a career-long five-game goal streak which ended on Nov. 27, finishing one game behind San Jose’s team record of six games. Couture has lit the lamp in 10 of the past 118 contests dating back to Nov. 10 with six multi-point efforts and 19 points (10g, 9a) in that span. He totaled 16 points (9g, 7a) in 14 November contests.
SUPREME SPECIAL TEAMS…The Sharks’ power play has been hot as of late, cashing in on 16 of 58 (27.6%) trips to the man-advantage since the start of a six-game home stand on Oct. 25, good for sixth in the NHL in that span. San Jose has gone empty in just nine games in that stretch, including Nov. 10 at St. Louis and Nov. 30 at Toronto when the team had zero power play opportunities and Nov. 17 against Detroit and Nov. 19 against the New York Rangers when they had just one each. The Sharks penalty kill has struggled as of late, allowing multiple goals in three consecutive games from Dec. 3 thru Dec. 7, but still enters tonight’s contest as the league’s second best unit this season at 84.2%. The Sharks posted stout 6-for-6 and 3-for-3 efforts against Montreal on Nov. 29 and Toronto on Nov. 30, respectively. The Maple Leafs had a scorching 28.3% power play at home this season entering Nov. 30’s game. San Jose’s penalty kill killed off its first 22 penalties of the season before finally allowing a power play goal on Oct. 22 at New Jersey. The Sharks have been operating at a League-best 85.7% shorthanded efficiency since the 2022 NHL All-Star break, and the Sharks have the league’s T-3rd best penalty kill percentage since the start of the 2020-21 season (83.3%).
COMEBACK KIDS…The Sharks overcame a two-goal deficit en route to a 3-2 shootout victory on November 13 at Minnesota, the team’s first multi-goal comeback win of the season and first since 4/24/22 at Vegas, a 5-4 shootout decision. San Jose has come from behind in four of 10 wins on the year, including each contest of a three-game win streak Friday (Nov. 11) at Dallas (trailed 1-0), Sunday Nov. 13) at Minnesota (trailed 2-0) and Tuesday (Nov. 15) at Vegas (trailed 1-0 and 2-1). San Jose was the first team to earn a win over Vegas when trailing after two periods on the year (the Knights had been 7-0-0). Per NHL PR, the three-game road trip was the first time since March 14 thru 17, 2018 that the Sharks earned three consecutive come-from-behind wins in one road stint.
REIM TIME…Sharks goaltender James Reimer returned from injury on Dec. 13 and promptly posted his 198th win of his career, having made 20 saves on 22 shots against Arizona. He earned his first shutout of the season on Oct. 23 with a 30-save performance at Philadelphia. Reimer’s shutout, his fifth as a Shark, moved him into a tie with Aaron Dell for eighth on the franchise’s all-time shutouts list. He recorded his third 41-save effort of the season on Saturday (11/19) against the New York Rangers, including saves on the first 40 shots he faced in the game. Reimer also owns a .932 shorthanded save percentage since joining the Sharks at the start of the 2021- 22 season, the best in the NHL in that span (min. 10 games played) and the second best two-season stretch by a goaltender since the NHL began tracking the statistic in 1997-98 (min. 30 games played, best is Cory Schneider from 2010-12 with a .936 SV% in 58 GP).
GRIER’S GAMEPLAN…On July 5, Sharks president Jonathan Becher and Assistant General Manager Joe Will introduced Mike Grier as the team’s fifth General Manager and first black general manager in NHL history. The 47-year-old appeared in 221 games with the Sharks from 2006 through 2008 as part of a 14-season, 1,060 game NHL playing career. Just two days later, Grier was with the team as they selected center Filip Bystedt with the 27th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. On July 13, the Sharks traded longtime defenseman Brent Burns and signed Matt Benning, Oskar Lindblom, Markus Nutivaara and Nico Sturm on the first day of free agency.
QUINN FOR THE WIN…On July 26, Grier introduced David Quinn as Head Coach of the Sharks and later named Scott Gordon, Ryan Warsofsky and Brian Wiseman as Assistant Coaches, Thomas Speer NHL Goaltending Coach and Nick Gialdini Video Coach. Quinn, who most recently served as head coach for Team USA at both the 2022 Winter Olympics and 2022 World Championship, spent three seasons as head coach of the New York Rangers from 2018 to 2021, earning a 96-87-25 record. In his three years, the Rangers held the league’s eighth-best power-play percentage (22.1%), ranked seventh in team blocked shots (4,195) and takeaways (2,244), and were tied for tenth in wins when trailing first (52). Adam Fox, who made his NHL debut under Quinn in 2019-20, was awarded the Norris Trophy following the 2020-21 season. Quinn’s first NHL win was a 3-2 overtime victory against the Sharks at Madison Square Garden with the Rangers on Oct. 11, 2018. His first NHL win with the Sharks was a 3-2 overtime victory against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 21, 2022. The 56- year-old recorded his 100th career NHL win on 11/11 at Dallas, a 5-4 final.
