Kraken @ Flames Preview: Two Rookies Set To Hit Milestones As Calgary Faces Playoff Push

Calgary, AB – The Seattle Kraken close out their road trip Tuesday night and face the Flames at Calgary’s Scotiabank Saddledome, aiming to finish the regular season series on a high note. Seattle has claimed two of the first three matchups this season, with a 3-2 win in Calgary on Feb. 8 and a 2-1 overtime victory in Seattle on Oct. 19. Calgary took a 3-2 win at Climate Pledge Arena on Feb. 4. Historically, Seattle is 5-8-1 against the Flames but boasts a strong 4-2-0 record on the road. The Kraken have also won four straight at the Saddledome, dating back to Nov. 1, 2022.

The Flames are hungry to secure a wild card spot in their final push to make the playoffs and are currently on a points streak, having won their last three road games. Calgary is just one point behind the Vancouver Canucks, who are in third place in the Wild Card standings with 78 points. A win tonight against the Kraken could provide a boost.

Milestones:

Ryker Evans is set to play his 100th NHL game on Tuesday. The Calgary native was the second player ever drafted by the Kraken and has appeared in 63 games this season, posting impressive stats since being called up from the Coachella Valley Firebirds at the start of the year. Evans ranks third in hits (108), tied for third in blocked shots (84), 10th in assists (19), and 11th in points (24).

Injury Report: 

• Chandler Stephenson (SEA) was scratched for Saturday’s game against Edmonton due to an upper body injury from last Wednesday’s loss in Minnesota. He is day-to-day with no further updates.

• Mikael Backlund (CAL) sat out the last five games with an upper body injury and no return date or updates have been announced.

Matching Up Against Calgary: 

• Jordan Eberle leads active Kraken skaters with 17 goals, 24 assists, 41 points, and 3 game-winning goals in 49 career games vs. Calgary.

• Jaden Schwartz ranks second with 8 goals, 20 points, and third with 12 assists in 30 games. Three of his goals have come on the power play, a team high.

• Jared McCann has 6 goals, 9 assists, and 15 points in 22 games, ranking third in goals and fourth in assists and points.

In Net:  Joey Daccord is 3-1-1 with a 2.61 GAA and .913 SV% in seven career games vs. Calgary. Philipp Grubauer is 3-5-1 with a 2.82 GAA and .917 SV% in 10 games against the Flames.

Players to Watch for Seattle:

• Adam Larsson is two goals away from his career high of eight, which he reached twice with Seattle. He also ranks second on the team in assists (14) and third in points (18) in 44 career games against Calgary.

• Brandon Montour is one goal shy of setting a new regular-season career high with 17.

• Kaapo Kakko is one point shy of matching his career high of 40, set in 2022-23, and five goals away from his career-high 18 from that same season

Players to Watch from Calgary:

Matt Coronato will play his 100th NHL game Tuesday night, making him the 13th player from the 2021 draft class to reach this milestone. Coronato has scored four goals in his last three games. On March 22, he hit 20 goals, becoming the first Flames player under 22 to do so since Matthew Tkachuk scored 23 in 2019-20.

Dustin Wolf, the rookie goaltender known in the Pacific Northwest for his years with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips, has been outstanding in his first season. He’s played 42 games, posting a 23-14-5 record with a 2.63 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage.

Puck drop is scheduled for 9Pm EST/ 6PM PST.

Next Game: Seattle Kraken host the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday, March 27th at Climate Pledge Arena.

Related

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Montreal Canadiens, you missed something truly special. Instead of the usual dual anthem performance by Kraken singer Tommy Burton, the team introduced cellist Anthony Kim, who played a beautiful instrumental version of “O Canada.”

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