The Flames head into Saturday’s matchup with the Kings carrying more than just a road game on the schedule. This is the start of a six-week run that will keep them moving, with 14 of Calgary’s next 19 games coming away from the Scotiabank Saddledome. Three games in four nights is the immediate challenge, and the first stop is Crypto.com Arena.
One of the more notable changes for Calgary is up front, where Adam Klapka is in line for a bigger job. He skated with Morgan Frost and Yegor Sharangovich at Friday’s practice after moving up from the fourth line, a bump that follows a season-high 16:07 against the Rangers on Wednesday. In that game, Klapka also scored a powerplay goal in the third period.
Head coach Ryan Huska made it clear Friday that the winger has earned the look. " I think Adam, when you look at the whole body of work over the course of the year, has probably been one of our more consistent forwards," Huska noted Friday. "He's getting some powerplay time 'cause he's doing things the right way, and I think he deserves an opportunity to move up the lineup with how he's played,
"The challenge is to make sure he stays with the style that he's been playing, and not getting away from it because his linemates have changed. And I think he's at the point with the way his season's gone so far that he recognizes how he has to play each and every game to be successful, and that shouldn't change, no matter what line you're on."
Klapka’s production has backed up the opportunity. He has seven points, including four goals and three assists, as the season moves toward the quarter-pole, and he is on pace to blow past his previous career high of 18 points from last year, when he spent most of his time on the fourth line.
For Huska, the move is about more than just reward. Calgary has had stretches in recent games where momentum drifted the other way, including during the three-game homestand, and the coach is looking for a cleaner 60-minute effort against a Kings team that can bring plenty of physicality. Klapka’s size and style could help swing things back when the Flames need a line to change the feel of a game.
"You want every line to be able to go out and flip momentum if they have the opportunity to do that. And I think by putting Adam with Morgan and Sharky, gives that line more of an opportunity to have impact when we need a line to switch momentum in a game," Huska said. "So, we'll see how it does.
"I thought they looked fine on the ice this morning and we'll see how they do tomorrow."
In Other News...
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For the Flames, the intrigue is easy to understand, because players with that kind of ceiling do not come around often. The catch is just as clear: questions about his size, defensive game and attitude have followed him, along with reports of friction with coaches and teammates, leaving the bigger issue less about talent than whether a team can trust the rest of the package. [Read more 🡒]
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Zayne Parekhs Rise Just Became A Bigger Flames Story
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With Kevin Bahl out for the season, the door is open a little wider for Parekh to become a bigger part of the blue line picture. The Flames will be watching closely on the upcoming road trip to see whether he can keep building on flashes like the one he showed against New York and start looking more like a top defenceman option. [Read more 🡒]