The Calgary Flames (30-13-5, 65 points) lost on Wednesday night, but they’re still off to one of their best starts in franchise history. They’re hoping to keep their momentum rolling tonight when they host the Detroit Red Wings (18-23-7, 43 points) in the first half of a back-to-back.

The puck drops just after 7 p.m. MT on Sportsnet West and Sportsnet 960 The Fan.

Projected lines, via Daily Faceoff:

Mike Smith starts for the Flames, with David Rittich slated to start on Saturday in Edmonton. James Neal returns to the lineup after missing last game with an illness, bumping Austin Czarnik to the sidelines. Travis Hamonic returns after missing a pair of games due to a family illness, bumping Dalton Prout back to the press box. (Word is Hamonic will be a game-time decision based on how ready he’s feeling to play after not skating for the whole week.)

The Flames weren’t great on Wednesday against Buffalo, but their power play was sharp enough to get them to overtime and earn them a point. Expect them to be a bit sharper against the Red Wings, especially with a big clash with the Oilers looming on Saturday night.

The Flames are 8-1-2 since the Christmas break. They’ve won tight games. They’ve won track meets. The open play on Friday in a place they’ve been for roughly seven weeks: first place in the Pacific Division.

Projected lines, via Daily Faceoff:

Jimmy Howard starts for Detroit, backed up by Jonathan Bernier. The projected scratches are Nick Jensen, Luke Witkowski and Jacob de la Rose.

The Red Wings have won two in a row, following losing three in a row. They’re a pretty streaky group. They’ve got talent and speed, but they’ve been really hampered by key injuries this season. They’re hovering just above the NHL’s basement, but they might be able to get into Jack Hughes territory by selling off some assets before the trade deadline.

The Flames are without Juuso Valimaki and Michael Stone.

The Red Wings are without Johan Franzen, Henrik Zetterberg, Evgeny Svechnikov, Trevor Daley and Michael Rasmussen.

This game closes out the season series. The Flames beat Detroit 5-3 earlier this month.

Your Red Wings Twitter follows for tonight:

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