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5 Things - Flames @ Penguins
1. Big Old Jet Airliner
After opening the regular season on a winning note at the Scotiabank Saddledome, the Flames will spend most of the next month road-tripping around the NHL beginning tonight in Pittsburgh. A five-game swing starts against the Penguins with Calgary in search of back-to-back wins to begin the campaign for the second straight year.
Starting the season with two (or better yet, four) points is always the goal, but the amount of road games in the near term made Calgary’s ability to capitalize on home ice all the more important. The Flames play 14 of the next 20 games on the road beginning with this five-game Eastern jaunt.
Game Preview: Calgary Flames @ Pittsburgh Penguins 10/14/2023 - Lines, how to watch
Last Year: The Pens first faced the Flames last season in the middle of their early-season seven-game winless skid. Nazem Kadri scored twice, and the Penguins’ only goal was a power-play strike by Evgeni Malkin in a 4-1 loss. Things went better in November, although it wasn’t exactly a dominant victory. The Pens were unable to hold onto an early one-goal lead and the game went to a shootout, where Tristan Jarry stoned Mikael Backlund before Malkin finished things off for a 2-1 win.
Penguins vs. Flames: Staying Hot
2. Ned’s Pens Debut?
Tristan Jarry turned in a decent performance in the season opener, but his performance in the nation’s capital was top notch. He stopped all 19 shots en route to a shutout.
After playing in the team's first two games, look for Jarry to receive an early season breather. Newly signed backup goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic expects to start on the second half of the back-to-back, and make his regular season debut for Pittsburgh.
Flames hoping early season road trip can accelerate team bonding
“It’s nice, we’ve been with our families for five months, a little too long,” Flames defenceman Nikita Zadorov said with a big laugh, clearly joking. “It’s nice to get together, especially at the start of the year. We have a couple new faces, get a couple dinners together and get to know each other. It brings guys together, obviously.”
