Backlund, Flames eyeing more with playoff spot within reach

Known primarily for his work centring the club’s checking line, always tasked with shutting down the opposition’s best players, Backlund is getting it done at both ends of the ice lately, leading the club with a plus-16.

“Very trustworthy in all situations, prepared to play all the time,” praised Flames coach, Ryan Huska. “That’s why he’s had such a good stretch, it matters to him.”

With Sweden expected to unveil its Olympic hockey team on Friday, Andersson says he’d love to see Backlund be part of it.

“Absolutely,” said Andersson. “He’s like fine wine, right? The older he gets, the better he gets, it feels like, and this stretch he’s on is probably the best I’ve seen him play.”

On Nov. 12, the Flames were in 32nd place with a 4-12-2 record, four points back of second-last. They have the league’s fifth-best record since at 14-6-2 (.687 point percentage), only trailing Colorado (.905), Minnesota (.804), Dallas (.739) and Buffalo (.696).

“We had a tough stretch to start the year, and it could have easily went the other way,” said Huska. “I’ve talked a lot in the past about how our older players are the ones that drive our team, good or bad, but they don’t waver, and I think their push, and we’ve talked about Mikael and Blake (Coleman) over the last while, but the push from those older guys has allowed us to get to this position.”

Calgary will wake on New Year’s Day just one point back of the Los Angeles Kings, who occupy the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

“Some dark days early in the year with a tough stretch,” admitted Backlund. “The boys have been digging in and kept believing and just been working hard and staying focused on what’s ahead and not losing sight of what we want to achieve here.”

Calgary has been nearly unbeatable at the Scotiabank Saddledome lately where they’ve reeled off five straight wins and are 10-1-1 in their last dozen games.

“We’re in a good spot. I think we’ve just got to keep going, keep winning,” said Jonathan Huberdeau, who scored his eighth goal. “We know how tight the standings are, so we’ve just got to keep climbing.”

Getting the win was Dustin Wolf, who made 25 stops to win his eight straight start at home.

Rounding out the scoring was Yegor Sharangovich and Connor Zary, who scored in his second game in a row. Matt Coronato and MacKenzie Weegar each had a pair of assists.

“Everybody’s been playing well and contributing to the success and that’s what we’ve got to do,” said Huberdeau. “We know that’s the recipe of our team. When everybody’s going, when we’re playing four lines, and everybody is scoring some goals, and that’s what we’ve been doing.”

Next up is the Nashville Predators on Saturday before the Flames wrap up their homestand against the Seattle Kraken.

“It feels good. Winning is fun. Best thing about this sport is to win games,” said Backlund. “And we’ve been playing solid home, and we got to keep doing that.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 1, 2026.

Darren Haynes, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Backlund, Flames eyeing more with playoff spot within reach

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