In every hockey season and every hockey career, there are both ups and downs. No matter how good you are or how long you play, that is just the nature of the sport. Sometimes these ups and downs can be team specific rather than just confined to a time period. On such streaks, a player, for at times an unexplainable reason, takes their game to another level whenever they step on the ice against a specific opponent. The current Calgary Flames players are no different. Here are some current hot streaks to keep an eye on entering the 2023-24 season.
Jonathan Huberdeau vs. Buffalo Sabres
Four goals and 21 points in last 13 games
Since the 2018-19 season, Jonathan Huberdeau has enjoyed lacing up his skates against the Buffalo Sabres, finding success whether he was donning the Florida Panthers or the Calgary Flames uniform. During this time, Buffalo has had their own ups and downs. However, that didn’t seem to change anything for Huberdeau as he only went pointless in one of the 13 games during this time, and even added a five-point night during one of the teams’ 2021 matchups.
In his first season with the Calgary Flames, Huberdeau played in both games in which Calgary took on Buffalo. In those games he continued to be productive, even during a down year, recording three assists. Being in opposite conferences, Calgary will only face Buffalo twice this upcoming season; Nov. 19, 2023, and March 24, 2024. Flames fans may want to keep an eye on Jonathan Huberdeau in those games.
Nazem Kadri vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
Six goals and 15 points in last 10 games
Since the end of the 2017-18 season, Nazem Kadri has enjoyed playing against the Columbus Blue Jackets. This hot streak has largely followed Kadri from team to team to team, as it started when he was a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs and continued after being dealt to the Colorado Avalanche. During his tenure with the Avalanche, Kadri played against the Blue Jackets on four occasions and was never held pointless, recording seven points in those four games.
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During his first season in Calgary, Kadri played against the Blue Jackets on two occasions, recording one goal in the two contests. We likely wont have to wait too long to see if Kadri will be able to keep up his good play against Columbus as Calgary will take on Columbus twice in the 2023-24 season; Oct. 20, 2023, and Jan. 25, 2024. An interesting caveat to watch for in the two meetings between the teams this season is the hiring of Kadri’s old coach Mike Babcock.
Elias Lindholm vs. Washington Capitals
Ten goals and 10 points in last 8 games
Since the 2018-19 season, Elias Lindholm has had a very impressive goal-scoring run against the Washington Capitals. In this run, he has recorded zero assists, but seems to hit another level of goal-scoring capabilities. Unfortunately for Lindholm and Flames fans, as Washington is an Eastern Conference team, the two teams never match up more than twice in a single season. Due to this, his streak has had to be stretched over five seasons.
Lindholm will have a chance to continue his good play against the Capitals early in the 2023-24 season. The first match-up between the teams is slated for Oct. 16, 2023, and the second is a little later, set for March 18, 2024.
Rasmus Andersson vs. Dallas Stars
Three goals and 10 points in last 6 games
Over the last two seasons, Rasmus Andersson has had a nice offensive run against the Dallas Stars. In this time, he has recorded a point in each of the games that Calgary and Dallas have faced off against one another. This six-game stretch is quite notable for Andersson, as over the last two seasons, he has scored 15 goals and 99 points in 161 games. This means that his six games against Dallas account for 20 percent of his goals and 10 percent of his points in just less than 4 percent of his games played.
Luckily for Andersson and Flames fans, his hot streak is against a Western Conference team, meaning that the two clubs will go head-to-head three times in the 2023-24 season. Each match-up between the two teams will take place in November, as the games are scheduled for; Nov. 1, 2023, Nov. 24, 2023, and Nov. 30, 2023.
Both individually and as a team, Calgary and their players are looking for a bounce-back season after a disappointing 2022-23 season. Luckily for them, multiple of their matchups in October and November are against teams that their top players have hot streaks against. Hopefully, this can help Calgary set the tone for a good bounce-back season.