We have now hit that point. The Calgary Flames remain in a playoff spot, have moved up to 2nd in the Pacific division, and have shown no signs of slowing down.
With a current 8-2-0 record over their last ten games played and 4-1-0 since the AllStar break, this team has broken away from any associations to a basement, and have welcomed the discussion of “how far can these guys actually go?….
And this is where things are going to get interesting. While there is no doubt that this team can compete, I still get the impression that the Flames are not being given the respect that a team in their current position should be, given the makeup of their roster.
The reason I say this is interesting, is that I feel that if this team continues to play this way heading into the playoffs (knock on wood), they may be the team that was taken a little too lightly and come out with a bang. 2004 mean anything to anyone? And I actually think they’re a stronger overall group, or at least better balanced.
With respect to last night, the Flames came to play in what was considered a must win between divisional rivals. The period for both teams seem to be a little slow, with each side testing the other. There were several quality chances with a total of 20 shots registered, but Hiller and Stalock kept their respective teams in the game with some solid play in the blue paint.
The Calgary Flames would improve upon their “they only score in the 3rd period… criticism by putting away three unanswered goals in the 2nd as Kris Russell opened the scoring with his first of the year.
Following Russell’s goal from a point shot, Hudler would secure his 15th goal of the year after an absolute smart and creative play from Gaudreau. The two sit atop the team in scoring with captain Mark Giordano, and Gaudreau registered his 39th point last night.
The only concern I can see with respect to the scoring for this group is that beyond the top four players, the goals really start to drop which can be a problem if said players run on a dry spell. With goals from Raymond and Russell last night, it certainly helps to know you have some support offensively when it comes to secondary or tertiary scoring – something that will be big come playoffs.
“It's always good to score, especially your first one. You don't want to take that long, and it was good timing,… Russell said. “The guys were happy for me, I think. I've been waiting a long time, and they've been giving me some grief.…
The Flames will take to the ice tomorrow night against the Pittsburgh Penguins which should be a good challenge. Unfortunately for them, Malkin is back in the lineup and Fleury has been playing well of late, so the team will certainly need to rely on another strong performance from Hiller should he get the start.
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