Flames' Mikael Backlund: Two points in Monday's win
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Backlund produced a goal and an assist in Monday's 3-1 win over the Kings.
The 35-year-old center opened the scoring midway through the second period en route to his first multi-point performance of the season. Backlund is supplying his usual reliable secondary scoring so far in 2024-25, and through 16 contests he's delivered four goals and nine points. He's also been a little more selective with his shots -- he's on pace to record fewer than 200 shots on net for the first time over a full season since 2019-20, but his 10.5 percent shooting is his highest mark since 2016-17.
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Flames' Mikael Backlund: Scores late in shootout loss
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Backlund netted a goal in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Sabres on Saturday.
Backlund scored the game-tying goal at the 15:42 mark of the third period to get the Flames a point in the standings. His third tally of the season ended a six-game goalless drought. Backlund has supplied seven points through 15 outings this campaign.
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Flames' Mikael Backlund: Gathers helper in loss
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Backlund had a power-play assist, two shots on goal and two hits in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Oilers.
Backlund ended a three-game slump with the secondary helper on Anthony Mantha's second-period tally. The 35-year-old Backlund has earned six points, including two on the power play, over 12 contests in a top-six role this season. He's added 24 shots on net, 10 hits and a plus-1 rating. Backlund's averaging just two shots per game this season after being above 2.5 shots per game in each of the previous four campaigns, so the Swede's offense could be at risk of dropping.
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Flames' Mikael Backlund: Scores in Saturday's loss
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Backlund scored a goal in Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Jets.
Backlund has a point in four of his last five games. The 35-year-old center is off to a decent start in 2024-25, earning two goals, three assists, 17 shots on net, six hits, six PIM and a plus-2 rating over eight contests. He continues to play an important two-way role for the Flames, though his usefulness in fantasy is often limited to deeper formats since center is a position of abundance around the league.
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Flames' Mikael Backlund: Provides power-play helper
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Backlund recorded a power-play assist and three shots on goal in Saturday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Kraken.
Backlund is up to three points over five contests this season, offering steady offense as well as his usual two-way play to begin 2024-25. The center set up linemate Blake Coleman's power-play marker late in the first period. Backlund has added 10 shots on net, four hits, three blocked shots and a plus-2 rating while seeing big minutes despite playing on the Flames' listed third line.
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Flames' Mikael Backlund: Sets up empty-netter
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Backlund recorded an assist and two shots on goal in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Blackhawks.
Backlund set up Matthew Coronato's empty-netter to secure the Flames' fourth straight win. The 35-year-old Backlund has a goal, an assist, seven shots on net, four hits, four PIM and a plus-2 rating over four contests this season. He's playing big minutes despite essentially serving as a shutdown center on the Flames' nominal third line, though his offense is likely a little too limited to make him a fantasy option at this point in the season.
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Flames' Mikael Backlund: Finds twine in win
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Backlund scored a goal on four shots and added two PIM in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Flyers.
Backlund's tally at 14:46 of the third period ended up being the game-winner. The center has added four shots on net and four PIM through two contests this season. Backlund often players a larger role than his middle-six assignment would suggest, as he's a part of the second power-play unit and sees regular penalty-killing time. He's a reliable depth center who can contribute around 40 points and decent shot volume.
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Flames' Mikael Backlund: Nets goal Friday
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Backlund scored a goal on three shots in Friday's 3-2 preseason loss to the Jets.
Backlund also won 10 of 11 faceoffs as the Flames dominated at the dot. The 35-year-old has a goal and three helpers over four preseason outings. The captain was limited to 39 points over 82 appearances in 2023-24, and he's unlikely to do much better than that while filling a middle-six role on a rebuilding team this year.
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Flames' Mikael Backlund: Gathers assist Sunday
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Backlund posted an assist in Sunday's 6-5 win over the Coyotes.
Backlund snapped an 11-game point drought when he helped out on a Yegor Sharangovich tally in the second period. It's unusual for Backlund to struggle at this time of the year -- he's typically a second-half player, but he did most of his scoring in the first half of 2023-24. The center is at 39 points, 205 shots on net, 68 hits, 33 blocked shots and a minus-4 rating through 80 appearances, with just 14 of those points coming since the All-Star break.
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Flames' Mikael Backlund: Good to go
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Backlund (undisclosed) is expected to be in the lineup Saturday versus the Oilers, Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 The Fan reports.
Backlund was listed as a game-time decision earlier Saturday, but it appears he's good to go without missing a contest. The 35-year-old will hold down his usual top-six role with wingers Blake Coleman and Yegor Sharangovich. Backlund has no points over his last seven outings.
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Flames' Mikael Backlund: Game-time decision Saturday
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Per Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 The Fan, Backlund (undisclosed) will be a game-time decision versus Edmonton on Saturday, though coach Ryan Huska said, "my gut is he'll play."
Backlund has regressed from his career-high 56 points last season, recording 15 goals and 38 points in 75 contests this year. He is mired in a seven-game point drought. Backlund is expected to center Blake Coleman and Matthew Coronato, if he is able to play.
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Flames' Mikael Backlund: Generates assist in loss
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Backlund logged an assist and two shots on goal in Monday's 5-2 loss to the Capitals.
Backlund is up to eight points over nine games in March. He set up a MacKenzie Weegar tally in the third period of Monday's defeat. Backlund is up to 38 points, 187 shots on net, 63 hits and a plus-6 rating through 68 outings this season. He's essentially functioned as a top-six option all year, though he was often listed on the third line before the Flames' roster was thinned out by trades.
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Flames' Mikael Backlund: Explodes for three points
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Atkinson scored two goals and an assist in Saturday's 5-2 victory over the Canadiens.
Backlund started the game by potting back-to-back goals, his 14th and 15th on the season, to give the Flames the early lead. He added an assist on the fifth and final goal while also adding three shots, one hit and a plus-3 rating in 18:06 of ice time. Despite the strong last two games -- he provided an assist Thursday -- Backlund has been scoreless in four of his last seven games. When not lighting up the scoresheet, Backlund provides decent peripherals, as he has 185 shots on goal and 62 hits for the year.
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Flames' Mikael Backlund: Offers helper Thursday
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Backlund posted an assist, five shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Golden Knights.
Backlund snapped a three-game point drought by setting up Blake Coleman's empty-net tally to seal the win. It's been seven contests since Backlund scored a goal, though he's been alright with four assists and 17 shots on net in that span. The veteran center is up to 34 points, 182 shots, 61 hits and a plus-5 rating through 66 appearances in a middle-six role.
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Flames' Mikael Backlund: Supplies assist in win
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Backlund notched an assist, two shots on goal and three hits in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Lightning.
Backlund reached the 20-assist mark for the year when he set up an Andrew Mangiapane empty-netter in the third period. Over the last seven games, Backlund has a goal and five assists. The 34-year-old center is up to 33 points, 170 shots on net, 56 hits and a plus-9 rating through 62 appearances. He should continue to be a leader among the Flames' forwards in ice time, as he's deployed in all situations.
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Flames' Mikael Backlund: Adds pair of helpers
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Backlund notched two assists and two hits in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Penguins.
Backlund earned his first multi-point performance since Jan. 13 by assisting on goals by Blake Coleman and Yegor Sharangovich during the Flames' third-period rally. With two goals and four assists over his last seven contests, Backlund is heating up again. The 34-year-old center has 32 points, 166 shots on net, 53 hits and a plus-12 rating through 60 appearances this campaign.
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Flames' Mikael Backlund: Deposits empty-netter
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Backlund scored an empty-net goal on four shots and went plus-2 in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Kings.
Backlund earned his fourth point in the last six games with his empty-netter. He's gone 16 contests without a multi-point effort, picking up six points and 47 shots on net in that span. The 34-year-old's ice time has remained fairly steady in February despite the trade of Elias Lindholm to the Canucks. Backlund has 30 points, 165 shots on net, 51 hits and a plus-11 rating over 59 appearances and should function as a top-six forward for the remainder of the campaign.
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Flames' Mikael Backlund: Manages assist in win
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Backlund logged an assist and five shots on goal in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Oilers.
Backlund has four points over his last eight outings, which is right in line with his 29 points through 58 contests this season. The center set up a Noah Hanifin tally in the first period. Backlund has added 161 shots on net, 51 hits and a plus-9 rating in his first campaign as captain while playing solid two-way hockey in a middle-six role.
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Flames' Mikael Backlund: Slides helper Monday
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Backlund logged an assist, three shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Monday's 6-3 win over the Jets.
Backlund helped out on a Blake Coleman tally in the first period. With just three points over seven games in February, Backlund's offense has cooled off after his strong play from November through mid-January. The center is at 28 points, 152 shots on net, 48 hits and a plus-9 rating through 56 outings, which gives him a decent chance of reaching the 40-point mark this season.
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Flames' Mikael Backlund: Deposits goal in win
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Backlund scored a goal in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Devils.
The tally snapped a five-game slump for Backlund, with that drought being his worst of the season. The 34-year-old should see a significant role down the stretch with Elias Lindholm traded to the Canucks. Backlund is enjoying a solid campaign with 26 points, 142 shots on net, 40 hits and a plus-8 rating through 51 appearances.
