Calgary @ Philadelphia preview
Wells Fargo Center
Last Meeting ( Dec 31, 2023 ) Philadelphia 3, Calgary 4
Life on the road is suiting the Flames just fine as Calgary charges into Philadelphia with the Flames out to extend their winning streak to four games when they visit the Flyers for a Saturday matinee.
Calgary doubled up the Nashville Predators 6-3 on Thursday for their third straight victory -- matching a season best. The Flames have won six of their last eight games.
Calgary is in the middle of a four-game road trip, which began with a 3-1 win in Minnesota on Tuesday and wraps up in Chicago on Sunday.
"The last couple of games, we've had some good starts, and it was a matter of time at some point we'd start scoring first, and we've been able to get out ahead on the road trip here, been able to hold on to leads," said forward Blake Coleman. "It's a lot easier to win on the road if you can get up early."
With the victory in Nashville, Calgary is now 8-9-4 on the road this season and above .500 overall at 17-16-5 through 38 games.
"We've been in this situation before where we've got (to .500), and then we'd lose the next game, and we'd find ourselves having to dig out again," said Flames coach Ryan Huska. "We want to try to gain a little bit of traction with stringing points together. It becomes important. The next game now becomes the most important game of the year for us."
Coleman has five goals and seven points over his last five games, while forward Andre Mangiapane has chipped in five assists in five games. Coleman leads the Flames with 15 goals and 29 points in 38 games this season.
With defenseman Dennis Gilbert injured in Thursday's win, the Calgary Flames recalled blueliner Yan Kuznetsov from the AHL's Calgary Wranglers on Friday.
Saturday is the second of two meetings between the clubs this season. Calgary edged Philadelphia 4-3 to close out 2023 on Sunday.
The Flyers enter Saturday's game following a 3-2 shootout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday.
Forward Travis Konecny, named to the 2024 NHL All-Star Game, scored twice to give the Flyers a 2-0 lead, but the Blue Jackets battled back to tie and scored the lone goal in the shootout for the win.
"At this point, they're all pretty difficult," said Konecny. "This time of year is where a lot of guys, for us, are learning, and it's tough. Every game is going to be that way, and there's no gimme. It's a good point; we'll take that, learn from it, and keep playing."
Philadelphia, fourth in the Metropolitan Division, has dropped six of seven (1-3-3) and is 8-7-2 on home ice this season.
Konecny, who leads the Flyers with 20 goals and 35 points in 38 games this season, has four goals and eight points in his past five games. Forward Joel Farabee has six helpers in his past five contests.
"He's a pretty good player," Farabee said of playing with Konecny. "Obviously, he's got an unbelievable shot, and he knows how to find those little areas. For me, I just try and use my legs, and if I have the puck, I'm usually looking for him or (Sean Couturier)."
--Field Level Media