Backlund’s absence creates massive hole in Flames lineup

Mikael Backlund’s absence creates a massive hole in the Calgary Flames lineup tonight as they prepare to host the Colorado Avalanche.

The captain played just a handful of shifts in Wednesday’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks and is now out week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

Backlund has taken more defensive-zone faceoffs than anyone else in the league this season. Facing MVP candidate Nathan MacKinnon, head coach Ryan Huska is down his shutdown centre and security blanket.

"I use him in situations against top players all the time, so I haven't really had to second-guess who's going out there against a MacKinnon for a defensive-zone faceoff,” Huska said. “It's been Mikael.”

That responsibility now shifts to centres Nazem Kadri, Kevin Rooney, and Yegor Sharangovich, who normally plays on the left wing but will play Friday down the middle, according to Huska.

“Guys got to step up,” Kadri said. “I don’t really think our approach changes, regardless of who we’re playing…it’s all the same from us.”

Kadri has taken the sixth-most offensive zone faceoffs in the NHL this season but could be shifted to more of a matchup role with Backlund out. Huska said that the veteran is embracing the importance of this final stretch of the season and showed up to the Saddledome Friday with an extra pep in his step.

“Even this morning, bouncing around the room,” Huska said. “The more important the games are to Naz, the more excited, the more fired up he gets. It’s very evident when you watch him, how he handles himself on days like this…he’ll probably look at me like, ‘Hey, I want to play 40 minutes tonight.’ That’s the way Naz is wired…if he’s not up at 40 minutes, like, ‘What are we doing here?’”
Kadri’s approach to facing MacKinnon is simple.

“I don’t care where I am on the ice, as long as I’m out there,” Kadri said.

With Connor Zary suspended for two games for a hit he delivered on Canucks blueliner Elias Pettersson on Wednesday, Calgary is now down two top-nine forwards. Adam Klapka and Dryden Hunt will draw in on Friday.

Sharangovich will not only be tasked with more defensive responsibilities, but the club needs him to contribute offensively. After notching a career-high 31 goals last season, he has just 12 so far this year. While he’s struggled to find his game, Sharangovich now has an opportunity to contribute down the middle during a crucial part of the season.

“We always talk about wanting him to have the puck more than what he has,” Huska said. “We put him in the middle trying to get him touching pucks a little more…this is another opportunity to challenge himself, make sure he’s finding a way to raise his level to become the impact guy that we know he can be.”

With the centres being asked to do more in Backlund’s absence, support from their wingers will be vital. Calgary has the lowest goals-per-game average in the league, making defensive responsibility all the more paramount.

“You’ve got to fill the hole by committee,” long-time linemate Blake Coleman said. “Guys maybe have to step in to roles they maybe haven’t been in throughout the year…you’re not going to send out a guy that plays the same way Backs does. He’s a special player because of what he brings to the table. This team will have to find a little bit of a new identity in the games that he’s out.”

Backlund has been the heart-and-soul leader of the club for several seasons. A mainstay on the penalty kill, he’s spent his entire career with the organization and hasn’t missed a game since 2021. Teammates value his selfless approach and work ethic.

Now, they’ll try to remain competitive in a tight Western Conference wild-card race without their heartbeat.

“We’ve got to write our own story,” Coleman said. “Sometimes, you get that little injection of energy…it changes the dynamic in the room a little bit. You can use it in your favour. We’ve got not a lot of time left here to start climbing and winning some games. It’s on the guys in the locker room and that next-man-up [mentality] and we’ll get it done.”