After suffering a setback in their opening game of 2025 against Utah, the Calgary Flames (18-13-7, 43 points) will try to get back into the positive side of the ledger on Saturday night when they host the Nashville Predators (12-20-7, 31 points) at the Saddledome. Nashville is playing their second game in as many nights after shutting out Vancouver on Friday evening. Can the Flames take advantage of a “scheduled win” situation?

Tonight’s broadcast begins at 8 p.m. MT on Sportsnet West, One and City TV and Sportsnet 960 The Fan.

Projected lines via Daily Faceoff:

Jonathan Huberdeau – Nazem Kadri – Martin Pospisil
Yegor Sharangovich – Connor Zary – Jakob Pelletier
Blake Coleman – Mikael Backlund – Matt Coronato
Ryan Lomberg – Kevin Rooney – Andrei Kuzmenko

Kevin Bahl – Rasmus Andersson
Joel Hanley – MacKenzie Weegar
Jake Bean – Brayden Pachal

We’re projecting Dustin Wolf to start in net, backed up by Dan Vladar. It’s Wolf’s 20th start of the season. The projected extras are Walker Duehr, Daniil Miromanov and Tyson Barrie. After being scratched for the last while – and appearing only in the second-half of the recent back-to-back set in Vegas – Andrei Kuzmenko rotates back in, albeit on the fourth line.

The Flames have played pretty well of late, with few clunkers – especially at home. By this point in their calendar, they’re a remarkably self-aware group: they know how they need to play to win, and they can identify (and hopefully correct) when they meander away from what makes them successful. Coming off a flawed performance against Utah, they’re hoping to tidy up their details and capture their 14th home victory of the season.

The Flames are just outside of a playoff spot as play begins on Saturday but things are getting a little crowded around them. They’re a point behind Vancouver (44 points in 38 games), a point up on St. Louis (42 points in 40 games) and three up on Utah (40 points in 38 games). They need to keep capturing points if they want to hang around.

Projected lines via Daily Faceoff:

Filip Forsberg – Steven Stamkos – Jonathan Marchessault
Gustav Nyquist – Ryan O’Reilly – Vinnie Hinostroza
Mark Jankowski – Fedor Svechkov – Luke Evangelista
Ozzy Wiesblatt – Michael McCarron – Colton Sissons

Roman Josi – Justin Barron
Brady Skjei – Nick Blankenburg
Spencer Stastney – Luke Schenn

Since Juuse Saros started in Vancouver on Friday night, we’re projecting Justus Annunen to tend the net against Calgary. The Predators have no healthy extra bodies with them. (Jeremy Lauzon and Tommy Novak were late scratches with day-to-day injuries.)

The Predators are pretty depleted by injuries right now and they’re going to have played Vancouver and travelled. But they’re not to be underestimated, as they’re a team that’s playing desperate as they try to climb back up the standings in the middle part of the season. If nothing else, they’re a team that’s poised to play spoiler to a lot of teams down the stretch.

Pretty cool: Ozzy Wiesbaltt, a Calgary product, debuted against the Canucks and likely plays in his hometown on Saturday against the Flames.

The Flames are without Anthony Mantha and Justin Kirkland.

The Predators are without Cole Smith, Tommy Novak, Jeremy Lauzon, Adam Wilsby and Zachary L’Heureux.

This is the finale of their three game season series! The Flames have already won the series, with wins over Nashville on Nov. 15 (2-0) and Dec. 10 (4-3).