Each win, loss and time beyond regulation level is magnified for the Calgary Flames.
With 13 video games remaining of their common season, together with seven at residence, the Flames are in a battle to the end for an NHL playoff spot.
Calgary (33-25-11) are one level again of St. Louis and have three video games in hand on the Blues, who maintain down the Western Convention’s last wild-card berth.
However the Flames had been additionally only a level up on the Vancouver Canucks, who had been visiting the New Jersey Devils on Monday.
“From the seems of it, we’re going to wish each level we are able to get,” mentioned Flames ahead Blake Coleman.
The Flames felt good about themselves Monday after successful three straight on a four-game highway journey, and capping it with a come-from-behind 4-3 time beyond regulation victory over the New York Islanders.
“The road between the best way you bought to play proper now and the best way you’ve bought to play sport one of many playoffs, there’s no distinction for my part,” mentioned Coleman, who lifted back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021.
“We all know how vital each level is and each sport is and guys are prepared to place themselves in entrance of photographs and do what it takes.
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“You’ve bought to pay a value this time of yr. And if you wish to be a playoff staff and do effectively in playoffs, that’s sort of hockey you bought to play, so we’re simply getting an additional dose this time round.”
Calgary hosts the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday and the Dallas Stars on Thursday earlier than Saturday’s conflict with the provincial-rival Oilers in Edmonton.
The Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers’ will renew their provincial rivalry on Saturday because the Flames proceed to chase a playoff spot.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
“We’ve nonetheless bought to catch a staff in entrance of us, so bought to get some factors,” mentioned Flames left-winger Jonathan Huberdeau, whose equalizing objective Saturday on Lengthy Island was his team-leading twenty seventh.
Some excellent news Monday for Calgary was captain Mikael Backlund appeared near a return to the lineup after sitting out 5 straight video games with an upper-body damage.
The Swedish centre didn’t journey with the membership on its current highway swing.
Backlund participated absolutely in Monday’s apply, however head coach Ryan Huska mentioned how Backlund’s physique felt after that exercise would decide whether or not the captain performs Tuesday towards the Kraken.
“We’re lacking our captain, our chief within the room and on the ice, the man that works so laborious, so it’s not simple to not have him within the lineup,” Huberdeau mentioned. “When we’ve got him again, it’s going to be superior.”
Defenceman Mackenzie Weegar, who was scratched from Saturday’s sport towards the Isles with a lower-body damage, stays day-to-day, Huska mentioned.
Ahead Joel Farabee was a full apply participant Monday after sitting out Saturday’s sport with sickness.
So the Flames, who’ve gone 7-4-3 because the 4 Nations Face-Off event, proceed to push for a post-season return after two straight years exterior the playoffs.
Calgary made a uncommon second-round playoff look in 2022 with a roster the hardly resembles the present version.
Perception contained in the dressing room and little exterior of it was the theme to begin this season for a reworked, youthful Flames, who’ve stayed playoff related and ranked as excessive as second within the Pacific Division in November.
Huska says the poise of veterans Backlund, Coleman, Weegar, Huberdeau, defenceman Rasmus Andersson and forwards Nazem Kadri and Ryan Lomberg has gone an extended strategy to instill perception in a low-scoring staff that it may well beat some other staff within the league.
The tenacious and resilient Flames handle to win video games regardless of a penalty kill ranked twenty seventh within the NHL, a faceoff proportion ranked thirtieth and a scarcity of first-period targets.
Solely eight different NHL golf equipment Monday had a greater save proportion than the mixed .900 of Calgary’s Dustin Wolf and Dan Vladar.
“In sure video games, the type that we’ve performed all yr lengthy, we’ve been in quite a lot of shut video games, and it simply doesn’t appear to part our group,” Huska mentioned.
“The staff has a extremely good understanding of how we have to play to have success, and that’s the opposite vital factor for me. When you might have goaltending that’s supplying you with an opportunity to win, when you might have a staff that understands their identification or what they need to seem like, and there’s a perception that they will play a sure type, then that offers the teaching workers quite a lot of perception that they’ll have the ability to get the job achieved.”
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