Three takeaways as Flames snap losing streak, blank Devils on ...
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From beginning to end, it was a special night.
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Mikael Backlund’s evening began with his family out on the ice and a silver stick presentation to celebrate his 1,000th NHL game.
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It ended with a group of his close friends mobbing him outside of the Calgary Flames’ dressing room following a 3-0 win over the New Jersey Devils.
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His friends sang a song in Swedish, they hugged his teammate and just generally caused a delightful ruckus.
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Nobody seemed to know exactly what they were singing, and nobody seemed to mind that one bit.
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“I don’t know what they were saying but seems like a fun group of guys and whatever they were having, it must have been pretty good stuff tonight,” said Blake Coleman, who scored twice in the third period in Friday’s win.
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Win or lose, Friday night would have been a memorable one for Backlund. Winning just made it that much sweeter.
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The Flames captain had his wife Frida, daughter Tillie and son Oliver — both of whom received little silver sticks of their own — with him on the ice as the team celebrated the forward becoming only the second player in franchise history to play 1,000 games in a Calgary jersey
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That’s a big accomplishment, and the Saddledome crowd was appropriately appreciative as current and former teammates spoke in a video about the impact the centre had on their careers.
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And then, the Flames went out and played their best game in a while, grinding out the Devils and scoring three late goals to secure the victory.
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“It was a special moment to share with my family and yeah, to see some current teammates and old teammates up on the screen and seeing (Jarome Iginla and Craig Conroy) on the ice, and then to get that silver stick from (Flames owner Allan Markin), it was awesome.
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“It’s hard to put a word on it, but I was really proud to hold that stick and even better when the kids got it.”
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Backlund’s 1,000th game was actually Wednesday night against the Utah Hockey Club, but that contest took place in Salt Lake City. Friday was the big celebration, and wouldn’t have felt quite the same without a win.
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The Flames lost 5-1 in Utah and felt like they’d owed him a better performance.
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On Friday, they gave him one, snapping a four-game losing streak with a solid 60-minute performance.
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“He’s an emotional guy, too, so I think it means more to him than people might realize,” said Flames head coach Ryan Huska. “We didn’t play well our last game in Utah and I think we got a little bit closer to the way our team needs to play to have success and it was even nicer to see it happen on a special night for Mikael.”
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Here are three takeaways from the night:
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VLADAR ON POINT
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Dan Vladar recorded his first shutout since Nov. 21, 2021, and made a couple big saves of Jack Hughes breakaways that kept the game tied in the second period.
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He was excellent throughout the night and while it wasn’t his busiest game in the crease, Vladar stopped all 22 shots that came his way and, again, made the big saves when the Flames needed them.
