1. Home Sweet ‘Dome

It’s here.

The Flames 2024 home opener lands tonight at the Scotiabank Saddledome amid plenty of excitement, and plenty of intrigue after Calgary pulled off an incredible comeback in Vancouver on the road three nights ago. Get tickets

Down 4-1 after the first period, the Flames stormed back, clipping the Canucks 6-5 in overtime on a remarkable goal from Connor Zary.

Which begs the question, what does this group have in store for tonight?

We’ll have to wait until just after 8 P.M. MT to find out, but if you ask forward Blake Coleman, there’s no shortage of anticipation from the players about the chance to perform again in front of the C of Red.

“It’s exciting, doesn’t really matter how long you’ve played, the first game’s always an exciting one at home,” Coleman commented Friday. “It’s one that you circle on your calendar every year, and thankfully we’re coming in with a win under the belt, a good performance, couple periods at least.

“We’re just excited to play in front of our own fans.”

D-man MacKenzie Weegar echoed Coleman’s sentiments in a conversation with our Ryan Dittrick Friday.

“The first few games of the season – and definitely the home opener, because it’s such a big one – I always get butterflies in my stomach,” he said.
“Eventually, they calm down.

“But when you hear the crowd, those first few shifts and especially if you start the game, there’s so much emotion packed into it. It’s chaotic, it’s loud.

“So, you’ve got to stay calm and be present in the moment.”

There’s even a Red Carpet Arrival scheduled from 4:30 – 6:00 for fans to greet the players as they arrive for the game.

But amid the excitement, the players – and head coach Ryan Huska – acknowledged that emotions will be high, with the club also set to pay tribute to the late Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau.

Huska told reporters Friday the best way for his group to honour the brothers is to go out and “play their best game.”

But Coleman – who played with Johnny for one season in 2021-22 – admits he’s still coming to terms with the brothers’ passing.

“When it comes to Johnny, there is no managing it, you know. It is what it is, it’s going to be a little emotional just to see the tribute, and feel his presence with us again,” he said. “It’s not a light switch you can just turn off, but at the same time, it’s way more important than the game of hockey.

“He deserves to be remembered and recognized, I’m happy that I get to be here and see it, and after that, we’ll take care of the game.”

For Johnny and Matthew.

Forever.

2. Know Your Enemy

The Flyers land in the Stampede City having won their season opener Friday night in Vancouver.

Cam York tied the game in the third period, then Morgan Frost scored the shootout decider as Philadelphia left Rogers Arena with a 3-2 decision.

Tyson Foerster also scored in regulation time for the Flyers, while Samuel Ersson turned aside 24 shots to earn the win in goal, as the visitors erased a pair of deficits en route to victory.

Philadelphia won 38 games a season ago – the same number as Calgary – but finished four points out of a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.

And of the 16 clubs that missed out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs last spring, no one had fewer regulation losses on the road than did the Flyers (16), and Philadelphia was one of only three non-playoff teams to finish better than .500 away from home.

A pair of first-round forwards have made plenty of headlines in the City of Brotherly Love over the past few weeks.

Jett Luchanko, the 13th-overall pick in last June’s Draft, made the club out of training camp and earned 14:36 of ice-time last night in his NHL debut, while Matvei Michkov (more on him below) has all the makings of the next Russian superstar.

The Flyers start the season with four straight road games, but if Friday’s win in Vancouver is any indication, they’re comfortable anywhere, anytime.

2023-24 Stats

3. Fast Facts

2023-24 Season Series:

The home team was victorious in each of the two meetings between Calgary and Philadelphia last season.

The Flames took home a 4-3 decision on New Year’s Eve at the Scotiabank Saddledome; Blake Coleman scored an empty-netter that stood up as the decider, while Mikael Backlund and Nazem Kadri also lit the lamp.

The Flyers won the rematch a week later in the City of Brotherly Love by a 3-2 scoreline. Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar had the Calgary goals.

Did You Know?

Tonight’s contest marks the first time in 13 years, and only the eighth time since moving to Calgary in which the Flames have contested a home opener against a Wales or Eastern Conference opponent.

The Pittsburgh Penguins helped open up the ‘Dome back in 2011, while Philadelphia has played the role of opponent in a Calgary home opener once before, in 2007.

The Flames have fared well in home openers recently, too, collecting 13 of a possible 14 points from their first home fixture over the past seven years, including identical 5-3 wins over Winnipeg and Colorado in 2023 and 2022, respectively.

4. Lineup Notes

With Justin Kirkland’s recall from the Calgary Wranglers, here’s how the Flames lined up at practice Friday morning.

Forwards

Sam Honzek – Nazem Kadri – Andrei Kuzmenko

Jonathan Huberdeau – Martin Pospisil – Anthony Mantha

Connor Zary – Mikael Backlund – Blake Coleman

Adam Klapka – Justin Kirkland – Ryan Lomberg

Matt Coronato

Defence

MacKenzie Weegar – Daniil Miromanov

Kevin Bahl – Rasmus Andersson

Jake Bean – Brayden Pachal

Joel Hanley – Tyson Barrie

Goaltenders

Dan Vladar

Dustin Wolf

5. Players to Watch

Flames – Anthony Mantha

Mantha made an impression in his Flames debut Wednesday night, scoring his first career NHL short-handed goal as part of a Gordie Howe hat-trick.

His line, with Martin Pospisil and Jonathan Huberdeau, accounted for three of Calgary’s five goals against the Canucks.

He earned 16:27 of ice-time in Wednesday’s contest, too, a full two minutes more than his average per game from each of the past two seasons.

Flyers – Matvei Michkov

The Russian phenom didn’t hit the scoresheet Friday in Vancouver, but he was all over it, launching four shots on goal in his NHL debut.

Clearly, the right-winger is trusted offensively by head coach John Tortorella; he earned three-and-a-half minutes of powerplay time in Friday’s 3-2 shootout victory.

Michkov was originally selected seventh-overall by the Flyers in the 2023 NHL Draft. Last season, he scored 19 goals, totalling 41 points with HC Sochi of the KHL.