Game 43: Montreal Canadiens vs. Calgary Flames

Start time: 7:30 PM EST / 4:30 PM PST
In Canada: Sportsnet (English)
In the Canadiens region: RDS (French)
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, Sportsnet+

The Calgary Flames just missed out on a playoff spot last season, the team that lost out in the end-of-season charge by the St. Louis Blues. Ending the year on a four-game winning streak got them to 96 points, but with 14 of them coming from defeats beyond regulation time, they didn’t hold any wins-related tiebreakers.

Coming so close, the Flames were expecting to take a step forward this season, but that hasn’t happened. An 18-20-4 record has them on pace for just 78 points, which would be an even lower total than they had in 2023-24. They’ve been obliterated by the Central Division this season, losing 11 of the 15 games they’ve played in regulation, which has all but ruined their playoff chances.

A road trip in the Eastern Conference offers a reprieve from playing those Central teams. Unfortunately for the Flames, they are just as equally hopeless on the road, tied with the Winnipeg Jets for the most losses outside of their own arena with 13, for the league’s worst road points percentage of .333.

Tale of the Tape

Canadiens
Statistics
Flames

23-13-6
Record
18-20-4

48.6% (23rd)
Expected-goal share
50.7% (14th)

3.31 (7th)
Goals per game
2.62 (29th)

3.26 (22nd)
Goals against per game
2.95 (12th)

23.8% (8th)
PP%
14.5% (32nd)

77.6% (22nd)
PK%
81.3% (12th)

1-0-0
Head-to-Head Record
0-0-1

Cole Caufield (20)
Most goals
Blake Coleman (13)

Nick Suzuki (32)
Most assists
Nazem Kadri (24)

Nick Suzuki (46)
Most points
Nazem Kadri (32)

Calgary doesn’t score many goals in general, but without the benefit of controlling the matchups they average a paltry 2.24 on the road, explaining their struggles. It’s a franchise that has added some promising prospects in recent years, but those players haven’t yet taken off the way Montreal’s young players have. The Flames are a team led offensively by their veterans, but even Nazem Kadri’s team-leading 32 points would tie with Juraj Slafkovský for fifth on Montreal’s list.

The Flames may not be able to put the puck in the net very often, but they are a hard-working group that has no trouble getting the puck into the offensive zone. They have a positive expected-goal differential at five-on-five, and are almost even in terms of high-danger chances.

They will hope that Zayne Parekh, recently returned from the World Juniors, can help in that department. He’s with the team in Montreal after winning bronze on Monday, and may get into tonight’s game despite the quick turnaround. The Flames clearly need some type of spark, and we saw in the tournament the type of impact he can have offensively — even if it comes with an equal dose of defensive liability at this stage of his development.

Even if he plays, this is a game the Canadiens should win. Teams often have a letdown on home ice after returning from a long road trip, and Montreal already has issues coming out on top in games at the Bell Centre, with 10 wins in 20 home matches. Especially with the Florida Panthers on the schedule for Thursday, this could easily be a game the Habs look past, just like they did versus the Blues four days ago. The home fans will be hoping to give the team a nice ovation for its play over the last seven games on the road, and the players won’t want to spoil the mood with anything less than a good effort.