Flames News & Rumors: Zary, Farabee, Backlund & More

Zary appeared to injure the same knee last night after a collision with Stars forward Mikko Rantanen. Head coach Ryan Huska mentioned postgame that while he didn’t have an update, he was hopeful it wouldn’t be as serious as it looked to those watching. TSN’s Darren Dreger followed that up this morning with another seemingly positive update, though he admitted that the final prognosis has yet to be determined.

“Further testing and imaging required to determine [the] extent of injury, however, the initial assessment offered some encouragement regarding Connor Zary’s knee,” Dreger wrote on X. “Tough scene last night following an awkward collision with Rantanen.”

Farabee Frustrated with Referees

Many think the Flames were robbed of two points against the Stars. They had two goals called back, one from Zary and another from Blake Coleman. Zary was determined to have kicked the puck in on what would have been a first-period goal. Then, in the second, it was deemed that Farabee had interfered with Casey DeSmith on Coleman’s tally. Following the game, Farabee revealed a rather confusing conversation he had with the ref following the call.

“I was told by the refs that if the shot was glove side, it was a goal, and if it was blocker side, it’s no goal,” Farabee said. “Not really sure what to think about that.”

The Flames lost 5-2, including an empty-netter. It was a tough loss for a team that is struggling to keep pace in the wild-card standings with the suddenly surging St. Louis Blues.

Backlund Returns to Lineup

The Flames were dealt a tough blow over two weeks ago when Backlund was forced to exit the game versus the Vancouver Canucks with an upper-body injury. The 36-year-old has been a steady all-around presence for the Flames in 2024-25, scoring 11 goals and 24 points through 65 games.

After sitting out six games in what has been the biggest stretch of the season, Backlund was able to return to the lineup last night. He looked healthy and back to his usual self, logging 17:07 minutes of ice time with five shots on net. Having him back for this final push in the regular season should be a major boost to the team.

New Arena Updates Provided

There’s plenty of time before Scotia Place opens its doors, but based on many updates, the new facility will be well worth the wait. Scheduled to open ahead of the 2027-28 season, the rink will include many upgrades over the Saddledome that will make the in-game viewing experience a thrill for fans.

Sportsnet’s Eric Francis recently revealed that the facility will have flex washrooms – meaning it will have three types of washrooms: men’s, women’s, and a portion that will be split – when the crowd is dominantly male, they will serve as the men’s restrooms and when the facility is expected to be filled with more women, they will act as women’s restrooms. This will be a huge help to avoid overcrowding in the concourse and will result in fewer lines during intermissions and/or concert breaks.

Francis also revealed that the stadium will have two concourses, including one on the ground level where fans enter the building. This alone is a huge upgrade over the Saddledome, where the single and narrow concourse gets overcrowded during heavily attended events.

Looking Ahead for the Flames

The Flames are six points shy of a wild-card spot, though they have six games in hand on the Blues. They’ll look to gain a couple of points tomorrow night in a Battle of Alberta outing versus the Edmonton Oilers to close out their week. They’ll be back in action next week versus the Colorado Avalanche, Utah Hockey Club, Anaheim Ducks, and Vegas Golden Knights.