The Calgary Flames (12-16-4, 28 points) clash with one of their most bitter divisional rivals for the first time this season on Saturday night, as the Flames visit the Los Angeles Kings (14-8-8, 36 points). The Flames have rebounded a bit from their rough start, but they still sit far away from the playoff pack. The Kings, meanwhile, are firmly in the pack, and are a team the Flames need to reel in if they want any shot at a post-season spot in the wild Western Conference.

Today’s broadcast begins at 8 p.m. MT on Sportsnet’s national feed, CBC, City TV and Sportsnet 960 The Fan.

Projected lines via Daily Faceoff:

Yegor Sharangovich – Nazem Kadri – Joel Farabee
Jonathan Huberdeau – Morgan Frost – Matt Coronato
Connor Zary – Mikael Backlund – Blake Coleman
Ryan Lomberg – John Beecher – Adam Klapka

Yan Kuznetsov – MacKenzie Weegar
Kevin Bahl – Rasmus Andersson
Joel Hanley – Hunter Brzustewicz

We’re projecting Dustin Wolf to start in net, backed up by Devin Cooley. The projected extra skaters are Brayden Pachal and Dryden Hunt.

The Flames are 3-2-0 in December and have generally been much better, in terms of process and results, than the team that found ways to lose games in October. That said, the Flames enter Saturday’s play (a) 31st overall in points percentage and (b) five points back of a playoff spot, when you account for differences in games played. If their stated goal remains a playoff spot in 2025-26, they still have a lot of work to do, deeply mediocre Western Conference notwithstanding.

As usual, keep your eyes out for Rasmus Andersson. He’s been flat-out superb this season and he’ll undoubtedly be fired up to play one of the Flames’ biggest rivals.

Projected lines via Daily Faceoff:

Alex Laferriere – Anze Kopitar – Adrian Kempe
Kevin Fiala – Quinton Byfield – Joel Armia
Warren Foegele – Phillip Danault – Trevor Moore
Jeff Malott – Alex Turcotte – Corey Perry

Mikey Anderson – Drew Doughty
Brandt Clarke – Joel Edmundson
Brian Dumoulin – Cody Ceci

We’re projecting Darcy Kuemper to start in net, backed up by Anton Forsberg. Their projected extras skaters are Andrei Kuzmenko, Sami Helenius and Jacob Moverare. (Yes, that Andrei Kuzmenko.)

Glass half empty: the Kings have won four times in their last 10 games, and twice in their last five. Glass half full: they’re doing a pretty good job of getting points, at least, with a 4-2-4 record in their last 10 and 2-2-1 over the month of December. They’re not world-beaters, necessarily, but they’re a pretty solid, balanced team. All due respect, the Kings just miss a difference-maker in their lineup these days.

The Flames are without Martin Pospisil, Zayne Parekh, Sam Honzek and Jake Bean.

The Kings are healthy.

This is the first of four games between these teams this season. They face off again in Los Angeles on Feb. 28, then close things out in Calgary on Mar. 24 and Apr. 16. (We’re 32 games into the season and the Flames still have not played Anaheim, Colorado, Los Angeles or Seattle at all.)

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