Calgary Flames eyeing perfect 3-0 season start for 1st time since 2010

There is no shortage of excitement surrounding the Calgary Flames this season.

The team is already off to a strong start with two wins. One was over the reigning Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche, and the other over their bitter rivals, the Edmonton Oilers.

The Flames host the Vegas Golden Knights at the Saddledome Tuesday looking for their third win in a row to kick off an eight-game home stand.

A victory would mean the Flames’ first 3-0 start to the season since 2010.

Let’s keep rolling

: @Sportsnet West
: @Sportsnet960
: 7:00 PM MT
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— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) October 18, 2022

CityNews sports anchor Sandra Prusina says the squad is showing promise.

“What really sticks out to me after 120 minutes of play for the Flames is the level of maturity. There seems to be this essence of hard work and no distractions,” Prusina said. “And this is no disrespect to previous iterations of this team, but I think that the new additions – Nazem Kadri, Jonathan Huberdeau, Mackenzie Weegar – they’re here to prove a point, they’re proud to play for a Canadian market, and they’re really embracing it.”

Prusina adds the team appears to be playing stronger on defence than previous years, with Weegar in particular fitting in nicely, in her opinion.

“(Weegar) looks fantastic paired with somebody like Chris Tanev,” she said. “And for a growing duo like Noah Hanifin and Rasmus Andersson, they have that playoff failure falling to Edmonton in the second round under their belts. It’s taught them something, and they’re already starting to grow with it this year.”

“I know it’s only been two games, but I really like the way the blue line has looked so far.”

Prusina says the team’s momentum is fueled by beating the Oilers in their first matchup of the season.

“(It’s) huge, because finally, you can forget what was going on this summer – everybody talking about the Battle of Alberta.”

She says the Flames shook off the bad vibes from their playoff run collapse, and can now focus on moving forward.

“This is a new team. The Flames are a new team. New faces. Fresh faces. Darryl Sutter has them focused. I know that it’s early, but I think the fact they beat Colorado – the defending Stanley Cup champions – and they beat Edmonton, now they can just focus on playing the game versus all that outside noise.”

READ MORE:

• CityNews’ Sandra Prusina named Calgary Wranglers play-by-play voice

• Calgary Flames end run of season opening losses with 5-3 win over Colorado Avalanche

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You can watch the Flames take on the Golden Knights at 7 p.m. on Sportsnet West or Sportsnet NOW or hear the call on Sportsnet 960 The Fan.

–With files from Logan Stein