The Calgary Flames get one more look at the Vancouver Canucks tonight, and the timing makes it a little more than just another exhibition date. Both clubs are coming off identical 4-2 preseason losses to Seattle over the weekend, and this one is the second of four exhibition games for each team.
It also lands in a notable spot for Calgary: the final exhibition NHL game in the long history of the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Puck drop is set for just after 7 p.m. MT, with the game on Sportsnet One and also on QR Calgary.
QR Calgary will have a 90-minute pre-game show starting at 5:30 p.m. MT.
For the Flames, the weekend opener ended in a 4-2 loss to the Kraken on Sunday night, with Aydar Suniev scoring both Calgary goals.
Projected lines, as reported by QR Calgary’s Pat Steinberg, have Matvei Gridin skating with Morgan Frost and Matt Coronato on the top unit. Sam Honzek is lined up with Mikael Backlund and Joel Farabee, while Connor Zary centers Ryan Strome and Yegor Sharangovich. The fourth line shows Maxim Tsyplakov, Martin Pospisil and Adam Klapka.
On defense, the pairings are listed as Kevin Bahl with Simon Nemec, Jake Middleton with Zayne Parekh, and Yan Kuznetsov with Zach Whitecloud. Dustin Wolf is projected to start and likely handle the full 60 minutes, with Russian rookie Kirill Zarubin backing him up.
This group is mostly made up of veterans, with Zarubin the only real exception. The 100-gamers are everybody except Gridin, Honzek, Parekh, Kuznetsov and Zarubin.
For those five, this is their season preseason outing. The lineup also lines up as the Flames’ Oct. 1 group.
Vancouver is in a similar spot after its own 4-2 loss to Seattle on Saturday. Daily Faceoff Vancouver’s Jeff Paterson projected Adam Novotny with Braeden Cootes and Trey Fix Wolansky on the top line, followed by Arshdeep Bains, Aatu Raty and Matthew Stienburg. Ilya Safonov is listed between Ty Mueller and Brooks Rogowski, with Ben Berard, Riley Patterson and Yaroslav Bryzgalov on the fourth line.
The Canucks’ defense pairs are projected as Kirill Kudryavtsev with Cole Clayton, Guillaume Brisebois with Tom Willander, and Jimmy Schuldt with Victor Mancini. Kevin Lankinen is listed as the starter, with Aleksei Medvedev behind him.
In Other News...
Zayne Parekh Is Giving Flames Fans A Very Intriguing Question
Zayne Parekh gave Flames fans something to think about in an exhibition game against Vancouver, and it was the kind of performance that stands out even in preseason. The young defenceman looked noticeably sharper than he did a season ago, using his skating to move with purpose, finding lanes with better ice vision and showing a real ability to control the offensive zone. Against a Flames lineup expected to be close to its regular-season group, Parekh did enough to draw attention in a game where every shift carried a little more meaning.
Ryan Huska came away pleased with the way Parekh stayed engaged and competed throughout the night, which only adds to the intrigue around what comes next. For a player still trying to carve out his place, those are the kind of details that matter, especially when the work translates against NHL-calibre competition. The bigger question now is how Calgary handles a young defender who is making the decision harder by the game. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Young Standouts Made A Routine Preseason Win Worth Watching
A preseason win over Vancouver usually does not amount to much more than a useful tune-up, but Calgarys 3-1 victory had a little extra to it because the Flames dressed essentially their opening-day lineup and still found a way to separate in the middle frame. Dustin Wolf started in net for Calgary, Kevin Lankinen had the crease for the Canucks, and for a night the result mattered less than the early read on how the roster pieces were fitting together.
The most encouraging part for the Flames was the second period, when they put three pucks behind Vancouver and made the game look far less like an exhibition. The Canucks did get one back late in the third, but by then the bigger takeaway was clear enough for Calgary: the lineup looked sharp, and the young players who stood out made a routine preseason game feel worth the watch. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Camp Cuts Just Started And The Roster Squeeze Is Real
Training camp cuts are starting to come into focus for the Flames, and the first moves have already sent two prospects back to the AHLs Calgary Wranglers. It is the kind of early culling that usually says more about the numbers game than any final judgment on talent, especially this time of year when every practice rep and exhibition shift matters.
Abram Wiebe and Luke Philp are still very much part of the organizations pipeline, but the roster squeeze is already real with 43 players left in camp. Calgary still has more evaluation ahead, including upcoming exhibition games, so the next round of decisions should keep sorting out who can keep hanging around and who is headed back to the minors. [Read more 🡒]