The Calgary Flames took the ice for the first time in 2023-24, facing the Vancouver Canucks in a home preseason matchup at the Saddledome. The Canucks rested most of their star players as many teams do in the preseason, however, some of the Flames’ big names were on the ice: Jacob Markstrom and Jonathan Huberdeau were active to name a few. With that in mind, it may be no surprise that the Flames dominated from start to finish, eventually winning the game by a score of 10-0. While it may sound like overkill to draw any meaningful takeaways from a preseason game, Flames fans should feel encouraged by the performances of several key players.
Jonathan Huberdeau
The Flames are relying on several players to have bounce-back seasons in 2023-24, none more than Huberdeau. Fans had their eyes on the star forward during the team’s first preseason game, and he did not disappoint. He scored in the first period to put the Flames up 3-0 after a beautiful move to circumvent the defensive efforts of Noah Juulsen, and he added another nice-looking top-shelf goal in the second. Again, the Canucks were not playing their star players, so Huberdeau was not up against the caliber of opponent he will be facing during the NHL season, however, fans should be encouraged that he looked confident and comfortable after underperforming in 2022-23.
Matt Coronato
If Matt Coronato wanted to send a message to Flames’ management that he is ready to play at the NHL level, he did so loudly and clearly in the team’s first preseason game. Just five minutes in, he scored on his own rebound as a Flames’ power play expired. Just a minute after Huberdeau put the Flames up 5-0 in the second period, Coronato gathered a loose puck in front of the Canucks’ goal and snapped it home for his second of the night.
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In the final period with just under eight minutes to go and the Flames leading 9-0, the Saddledome rang out with “we want ten” chants from the Calgary faithful. Coronato gave them what they were asking for, lifting a wrist shot from the right wing over the glove of Vancouver’s goalie Zach Sawchenko and completing his hat trick. His performance in the 10-0 victory should be encouraging to Flames fans. After losing Tyler Toffoli, the Flames will need some of their younger players to step up and create meaningful production. If Coronato can significantly contribute, that would go a long way to ensuring Toffoli’s production is made up for. Beyond that, fans should be excited that Coronato looked comfortable playing at the NHL level as he has only played in one NHL game.
Jacob Markstrom
Markstrom got the nod in goal for the Flames’ first preseason game, and like Huberdeau, the big-name goalie is coming back from a down season in 2022-23. Oftentimes when a player’s confidence has been impacted, it takes a little bit for them to settle back in. This may be the reason that Huberdeau and Markstrom partook in the Flames’ first preseason game while other teams sat their stars. If this was indeed the reason, both of them got off to a good start in terms of settling back in.
Markstrom saved each of the 26 shots that he faced during the course of the game, shutting out the Canucks. He looked comfortable and in command, which could not be said about him at several points during the 2022-23 season. While this does not necessarily mean he will be back to his old self come the start of the regular season, it was a positive sign that he played lights out in his first action of 2023-24.
An Encouraging Performance
While it is the preseason and we should avoid drawing any absolute conclusions from any of these games, the Flames’ performance against the Canucks was encouraging. Huberdeau and Markstrom looked like they were off to a good start in terms of rebounding from poor play last season, and Coronato showed the world that he is ready to be an NHL player. These are reasons to be excited for the regular season, which is just around the corner.
