Who: Calgary Flames (18-22-4, 40 points, 7th place Pacific Division) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (21-12-9, 51 points, 4th place Metropolitan Division)
When: 3:30 p.m. eastern
How to Watch: Broadcast locally Sportsnet Pittsburgh and SN/TVAS, streaming on ESPN+
Pens’ Path Ahead: The busy stretch continues tomorrow with a 5 p.m. ET game in Boston. Then it’s back to Pittsburgh for three home games next week, starting with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday and followed by division matchups against the Philadelphia
Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.
Opponent Track: It’s been a dispiriting stretch in Calgary. The Flames are on a four-game losing skid, and they’ve been held to just one goal in each of their last three games (while getting outscored by a total of 18-3). Calgary most recently dropped a back-to-back set in Montreal and Boston earlier this week.
Season Series: This is the first time the Flames and Pens have met this season. They’ll see one another later this month, when the Pens head to Calgary on Jan. 21 as part of a four-game West Coast road swing.
Hidden Stat: The Flames are heading into this matchup with the worst road points percentage in the NHL, going 6-15-2 (.304 points percentage) in 23 away games so far this season.
Hidden Stat II: Courtesy of Pens PR, the Penguins are 13-1-4 in games where at least one member of the current fourth line (Connor Dewar, Blake Lizotte and Noel Acciari) records a point.
Getting to know the Flames
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Jonathan Huberdeau – Nazem Kadri – Joel Farabee
Blake Coleman – Mikael Backlund – Matt Coronato
Connor Zary – Morgan Frost – Yegor Sharangovich
Ryan Lomberg – Justin Kirkland – Adam Klapka
DEFENSEMEN
Kevin Bahl / Rasmus Andersson
Yan Kuznetsov / MacKenzie Weegar
Joel Hanley / Hunter Brzustewicz
Goalies: Dustin Wolf, Devin Cooley
Potential scratches: Zayne Parekh (day-to-day upper body injury), William Stromgren, Brayden Pachal
Injured Reserve: Jake Bean, Samuel Honk, John Beecher, Martin Pospisil
- Flames fans haven’t gotten to see rookie defenseman Zayne Parekh since he set a record for Canadian World Juniors defensemen with 13 points in seven games of the 2025 tournament. The 19-year-old was sidelined for Calgary’s back-to-back earlier this week.
- Dustin Wolf has made eight straight starts for the Flames, including in the team’s losses to the Habs and Bruins on consecutive days last week. Backup Devin Cooley has been dealing with an illness, according to head coach Ryan Huska, who admitted it has not been “ideal” to be playing Wolf this much. Whether Wolf (3-5-0 over this stretch) gets a ninth straight start against the Pens could depend on Cooley’s health status.
Season stats
via hockeydb
The Flames are about to hit a crossroads at the trade deadline. Right now, they’re in no man’s land. They’re ostensibly still in the playoff race (six points back of a Western Conference Wild Card spot with 38 games left in the season). They had a resurgent December (9-4-0) before their January slump (0-4).
They’re playing veterans and keeping young players on a tight leash— rookie winger William Stromgren made his NHL debut on Wednesday, but skated just over eight minutes before getting scratched for Thursday’s matchup with the Bruins.
The Flames are also the lowest-scoring team in the NHL with 2.13 goals for per game, and they’re allowing the fifth-most goals against (3.57 per game). The Calgary power play is ticking along at just 12.5 percent.
Blake Coleman has been tied to the Montreal Canadiens by TSN’s Pierre LeBrun. Rasmus Andersson is an obvious trade chip given that he’s playing on an expiring contract. Whether these players and others ultimately get moved at the deadline could depend at least in part on how soon the Flames can end their ongoing losing streak.
And now for the Pens
Infographic courtesy of Pens PR
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust
Evgeni Malkin – Ben Kindel – Yegor Chinakhov
Anthony Mantha – Tommy Novak – Justin Brazeau
Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Noel Acciari
DEFENSEMEN
Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson
Brett Kulak / Kris Letang
Ryan Shea / Jack St. Ivany
Goalies: Stuart Skinner and Arturs Silovs
Potential Scratches: Ville Koivunen, Kevin Hayes, Connor Clifton
IR: Filip Hallander, Caleb Jones, Rutger McGroarty
- The Penguins had an optional practice Friday ahead of today’s afternoon game and this weekend’s back-to-back set, per Michelle Crechiolo.
- Malkin made his return from injury on Ben Kindel’s wing during Thursday’s win over the Devils. We’ll see if he sticks on the wing or returns to his natural center position for his second game back.
- Only the Tampa Bay Lightning (eight straight wins) are currently riding a longer victory streak than the Pens (six consecutive victories).
- Courtesy of Pens PR: A goal or assist from Erik Karlsson tonight would make him the first Penguins defenseman since Dick Tarnstrom in 2002 to record points in 10 straight home games.
