Game Day | Flames vs. Jets – 20.10.25

Game Day | Flames vs. Jets – 20.10.25

Welcome back inside of Scotia Banks Battle Dome and to another Calgary Flames game day to get you set for tonight’s game against the Winnipeg Jets. I’m Derek Wills alongside of Megan Mickelson. And one of the bright spots in Saturday’s loss versus the Vegas Golden Knights was the return of Jonathan Hubo who made his regular season debut. Mech, what did you think of number 10 and that new look top line? Well, he scored a goal so that’s a positive of course. He also had four slot shots and just thought for coming into game six of the regular season, he played with a lot of pace, the intensity and the work was there. Ryan Huska talked about his offensive swagger and just the energy that he brings to the locker room as well. No doubt gave his two line mates and Nom Cadri and Joel Farabe a little bit of a boost, but it’s also his play away from the puck and the Flames are going to need that line to be solid again here tonight. Now, in a perfect world, Brian Haskco would love to have four forward lines and three defense pairings that he rolls out in each and every game, but we’re not living in a perfect world. We’re going to see three new forward lines and two new defense pairings in this game against the Jets tonight. What sticks out to you? Well, Sam Hanzac playing with Morgan Frost and Connor Zerry could be a really interesting line. And Ryan Huska talked about Sam Hanzac this morning and being a guy he wants him to play sort of like Martin Pospasel just with the pace and the speed. maybe not to that level of physicality, but really just drive the play for those other two guys who no doubt both have just an elite skill set. Then you look at Matt Coronado playing with Michael Backland and Blake Coleman. A familiar trio that we saw a lot last season and one that this coaching staff can go back to because they know that it works. And then Justin Kirkland will draw in on the fourth line uh with Ryan Lombberg and Adam Klka. Lombberg and Kapka have been excellent in bringing the physicality that they need from that fourth line. We’ll need to continue to see that. And then on the back end, Kevin Ball and Rasmus Anderson stay together, but Ryan Husk talked about just trying to find more balance and chemistry with the other pairs. So, we’re going to see Jake Bean play with McKenzie Weaguer and then Joel Hanley will go back and play with Zayn Car, which a pair we’ve seen earlier. So, uh, just really looking to see if they can find those perfect combinations and the perfect fits. Like you said, tough start to the season for the Flames. There’s no doubt about that. But when you look at the Pacific Division, the Ducks have two wins, the Oders have two wins, the Kings have one win, and the Sharks are still looking for their first win. So, the Flames still with plenty of time to get things turned around. And it all starts with tonight’s game against the Jets. What are the three keys to victory for the Flames in this one? Well, the first one is the Flames need to score first. first of all because it’ll give them some confidence and some energy coming off of a tough loss on Saturday, but also because the Winnipeg Jets are 40 and0 when scoring first. So, that’s going to be really important. The second one, and something Mackenzie Waguer talked about this morning, is making sure that they’re playing to their identity. And Mackenzie Wager saying that he doesn’t believe at all that there’s a culture issue here. It’s more so they need to get back to being that team that is really hard to play against. So, playing to their identity. And the third one is, and Brian Huska talked about it, is making sure that they’re careful in terms of what they’re giving up. So from a defensive standpoint, playing against a Winnipeg Jets team that is very dangerous offensively. You have Kyle Connor, Mark Shley, to name a few. Uh just really being cautious in terms of what they’re giving up. Uh and playing solid from a defensive standpoint. That includes structure- wise, which Ryan Huska has been pretty happy with. uh but also eliminating just those individual errors and mistakes that we’ve seen in some of the games. Looking forward to a great battle between the pipes with Dustin Wolf at one end and Connor Halabuk at the other and a heck of a hockey game between the Flames and the Jets here at Scotia Bank Saddome tonight. We’ll have the call for you on Sports Net 960 the fan. John Abbott and Kelly Rudy will have the call on Sportset at 7:30. Enjoy the game everyone. [Music]

Derek & Meaghan set up tonight’s clash with the Jets