Calgary Flames defenseman MacKenzie Weegar is one of a litany of players who will face his former team when the Florida Panthers visit on Monday.
Weegar, who was traded from Florida to Calgary in the summer of 2022, is the hottest of all those who will hit the ice, having already equaled his career best with eight goals, putting him among the league leaders for defensemen.
Between his personal success and the opportunity to face his old team, Weegar is looking forward to the clash.
“I can’t wait for that game. It’ll be a fun one,” he said.
The Flames snapped a four-game winless skid with Saturday’s 4-2 home victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
With the likes of current Panthers Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and Ryan Lomberg visiting their former home, the game will have an extra charge. Tkachuk, especially, is no longer a favorite among the Flames fans after forcing a trade by telling the team he would not sign once becoming a free agent.
“The only thing I would look forward to is our crowd,” Flames coach Ryan Huska said. “They get excited about it, for sure, so there’s going to be a different energy level.”
The Flames likely will have No. 1 goalie Jacob Markstrom (active) and shutdown defenseman Chris Tanev back in the lineup. Markstrom was sidelined two weeks due to a broken finger on his blocker-side hand, while Tanev suffered an upper-body injury in the Dec. 11 game against the Colorado Avalanche.
“I feel good,” said Markstrom, who was drafted by the Panthers and spent parts of four seasons with them. “Obviously good to be back, practicing with the team. It’s never fun to watch the games on TV.”
The Panthers arrive in Calgary after snapping a two-game losing skid with a 5-1 win over the host Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, a game in which they staked a three-goal first-period lead and held on for victory thanks to a 38-save performance from goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
“It was a good game against a dangerous opponent,” said Bobrovsky, who included a penalty-shot save in his total. “It’s fun to play those games against the really good offensive teams, so I was involved in the game. It was fun.”
Coach Paul Maurice said: “You’re not beating these guys on home ice unless you get a goaltending performance like that. … You could feel it from the bench; he wasn’t getting beat. We needed that, we needed our ‘A’ guys to step up and be great.”
Florida’s top guns certainly stepped up their game. Carter Verhaeghe continued his torrid December with a pair of goals and an assist, while Bennett netted one goal in a three-point game and Brandon Montour scored his first of the season after missing the first 16 games due to offseason shoulder surgery.
After the Panthers were shut out in consecutive games, it was a matter of time for an offensive breakout.
“We’re a resilient team and I think we came out the right way, and it was nice to get the first couple of goals of the game. It started us off on the right foot,” Verhaeghe said. “We believe in ourselves, and it was nice to get the win. Anytime you don’t score in two games it (stinks), so it was nice to see the puck go in the net.”
