3 Takeaways From Flames Big Win Over Jets On Hockey Day In Canada

The Calgary Flames wrapped up a four-game road trip on Saturday night, which also happened to be Hockey Day in Canada, by defeating the Western Conference's top team, the Winnipeg Jets, by a 3-1 score.

After some disappointing contests in St. Louis, the Flames bounced back and sent a message to the rest of the team vying for a wildcard spot: they are not afraid of a challenge and can play alongside the elite teams in the league.

The Calder Race is Only Heating Up

The talk of every hockey season is who will win the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year. Most had Macklin Celebrini or Matvei Michkov as the front runners and favorites, with little to no talk about Dustin Wolf.

On Saturday night, in front of a national audience on the country's most important hockey day, Wolf stonewalled one of the best teams in the league, giving his teammates the best opportunity to score some goals and win a game.

As one of the more dominant netminders on home ice, Wolf had one of, if not the best, road performances of the season. When the Flames needed two points, facing a daunting opponent, the 23-year-old was up to the task with a season-high 38 saves.

The Monkey's Staying on the Road

According to projected lineups at NHL.com, Flames forward Andrei Kuzmenko would not play on Saturday night. Then, he was swapped in for Walker Duehr.

Thus far in 2025, Kuzmenko has played only three games, last dressing on Jan. 11. After a 14-goal campaign last year, the 28-year-old has struggled to duplicate his success this season, with just one goal on Oct. 15 against Chicago.

It took 28 games, but Kuzmenko scored on Saturday night, getting the monkey off his back. Hopefully, his last lamplighter will help him build momentum and give the Flames the secondary scoring they desperately need.

Where is Huberdeau?

Jonathan Huberdeau had a December to remember, scoring 15 points in 12 games for a 1.25 points-per-game average. He had eight goals and seven assists while finishing the month even with 24 shots.

Since the calendar flipped to 2025, Huberdeau has hardly been noticeable and is not playing as dominantly as he was just three weeks ago.

In January, the Flames' leading scorer thus far has only three points in seven games, two game-winners, a minus-1 rating, and just 14 shots on goal.

Considering that Calgary is already among the least threatening offenses in the NHL, as the wildcard race only gets closer and tighter, it's an awful time for the team's point leader to go on a dry spell.

After another pointless night on Saturday, Huberdeau has reached three games without his name on the scoresheet, the third time it's happened this season. He has yet to go four games without a point, so can he reverse his recent misfortunes in the upcoming games?

Flames & Jets Trivia Answers

How did you score in our Game Day Trivia quiz? Here are the answers.

1. Clarke Wilm

2. Elias Lindholm

3. Scott Nichol

4. Johnny Gaudreau

5. Mark Jankowski

6. Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm

7. Jacob Markstrom

8. Brian Elliott

9. Curtis Glencross

10. Mark Giordano

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