Three takeaways as Flames ring in New Year at .500 with win over Flyers

As Calgarians ramped-up their New Year’s celebrations, the Flames must have been wondering if there was any way to extend December for a couple more days.

It’s been a good month, made better by a 5-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday evening.

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’re firmly back in the mix – and back at .500 for the first time since early-October.

“I think the significance is we stayed with it,” Flames head coach Ryan Huska said. “We were in a tough stretch to start the year and it could have easily went the other way. I’ve said a lot in the past that our older players are the ones who drive our team.

“The 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’re not where we want to be yet.”

Wednesday’s 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’ third-straight win and fifth-straight at home. 

There’s a growing sense that they’ve 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.

“I think we’ve just been sticking to our team game,” said Flames captain Mikael Backlund. “There 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.”

Here’s three takeaways from Wednesday’s game:

BACKLUND MAGIC

Rasmus Andersson didn’t hesitate when asked about whether Backlund should be on the Swedish Olympic team.

“Yes, absolutely,” Andersson said.

Backlund has been on a tear for the Flames. The captain recorded six goals and five assists in December, including the Flames’ opener against the Flyers. 

“Really good, unbelievable, best I’ve seen him play,” Andersson said. “He’s dragging the team into the fight and it’s every night for him, he’s been unbelievable lately. Really, since Game 10 this year, I think he’s been one of our best players.”

Backlund is currently sitting on 10 goals and 15 assists in 40 games this season. If he keeps up that pace, it’s possible that he’ll break his career-high in points. For a 36-year-old, that’s pretty remarkable.

STARING DAGGERS

We’ll 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.

He’s 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.

Afterwards, he quickly found a fan in a Flyers jersey to stare down, as per tradition.

This particular fan was ready for him and responded by sticking out her tongue in his direction.

“I don’t really laugh in that moment, I tried to call the other guys over to stare her down with me,” Andersson explained. “It was a fun one. Not the best, though.”

FIRING AGAIN

For much of the first two months of the season, Connor Zary and Yegor Sharangovich were both struggling to varying degrees.
They’ve got a ways to go before anyone officially declares that they’re back, but they seem to be finding ways to contribute.

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’t buy a goal earlier in the year and went 20 games without lighting the lamp, it’s encouraging that he’s finding the back of the net.

Sharangovich, meanwhile, has been playing better for a few weeks now. Goals only tell part of the story. He’s looked much more impactful since the start of December and wound up with five goals in the month.

“I think his play has been really good,” Huska said. “He’s much harder than he was earlier in the year, I think he’s way more competitive. Those are two reasons he’s been a much better player for us over the last little while.”

daustin@postmedia.com

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