As Calgarians ramped-up their New Year\u2019s celebrations, the Flames must have been wondering if there was any way to extend December for a couple more days.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been a good month, made better by a 5-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday evening.<\/p>\n
It meant the Flames head into 2026 sitting a grand total of one point back of a playoff spot in the Western Conference, their 9-4-0 December record ensuring they\u2019re firmly back in the mix \u2013 and back at .500 for the first time since early-October.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the significance is we stayed with it,\u201d Flames head coach Ryan Huska said. \u201cWe were in a tough stretch to start the year and it could have easily went the other way. I\u2019ve said a lot in the past that our older players are the ones who drive our team.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe push from those older guys has allowed us to get in this position now and we have to find a way to keep going because we\u2019re not where we want to be yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wednesday\u2019s win came against a Flyers team that was playing on the second night of a back-to-back and faded as the game wore on. Still, though, it was the Flames\u2019 third-straight win and fifth-straight at home.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a growing sense that they\u2019ve righted the ship after a shaky start. Dustin Wolf looks back to his best and was again solid between the pipes against the Flyers, stopping 25-of-26 shots, while there are contributions coming from up-and-down the lineup.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019ve just been sticking to our team game,\u201d said Flames captain Mikael Backlund. \u201cThere were some dark days earlier in the year with the tough stretch, but the boys have been digging in and kept believing and have just been working hard and staying focused.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s three takeaways from Wednesday\u2019s game:<\/p>\n
BACKLUND MAGIC<\/p>\n
Rasmus Andersson didn\u2019t hesitate when asked about whether Backlund should be on the Swedish Olympic team.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, absolutely,\u201d Andersson said.<\/p>\n
Backlund has been on a tear for the Flames. The captain recorded six goals and five assists in December, including the Flames\u2019 opener against the Flyers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cReally good, unbelievable, best I\u2019ve seen him play,\u201d Andersson said. \u201cHe\u2019s dragging the team into the fight and it\u2019s every night for him, he\u2019s been unbelievable lately. Really, since Game 10 this year, I think he\u2019s been one of our best players.\u201d<\/p>\n
Backlund is currently sitting on 10 goals and 15 assists in 40 games this season. If he keeps up that pace, it\u2019s possible that he\u2019ll break his career-high in points. For a 36-year-old, that\u2019s pretty remarkable.<\/p>\n
STARING DAGGERS<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll find out in the next couple days whether Backlund is included in the Swedish plans for the Olympics, but at this point it seems like a guarantee that Andersson will be representing his country.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s playing the best hockey of his career for the Flames and has significantly enhanced his trade value in the final year of his current contract. He scored again against the Flyers, bringing his season total to eight.<\/p>\n
Afterwards, he quickly found a fan in a Flyers jersey to stare down, as per tradition.<\/p>\n
This particular fan was ready for him and responded by sticking out her tongue in his direction.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t really laugh in that moment, I tried to call the other guys over to stare her down with me,\u201d Andersson explained. \u201cIt was a fun one. Not the best, though.\u201d<\/p>\n
FIRING AGAIN<\/p>\n
For much of the first two months of the season, Connor Zary and Yegor Sharangovich were both struggling to varying degrees.
They\u2019ve got a ways to go before anyone officially declares that they\u2019re back, but they seem to be finding ways to contribute.<\/p>\n
Zary picked up his sixth goal of the season against the Flyers, scoring for the second straight game. He was shuffled around the lineup a bit throughout the night, but for a guy who couldn\u2019t buy a goal earlier in the year and went 20 games without lighting the lamp, it\u2019s encouraging that he\u2019s finding the back of the net.<\/p>\n
Sharangovich, meanwhile, has been playing better for a few weeks now. Goals only tell part of the story. He\u2019s looked much more impactful since the start of December and wound up with five goals in the month.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think his play has been really good,\u201d Huska said. \u201cHe\u2019s much harder than he was earlier in the year, I think he\u2019s way more competitive. Those are two reasons he\u2019s been a much better player for us over the last little while.\u201d<\/p>\n
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