The Calgary Flames will take to the ice tonight with what could very well be their 3rd last game of the year as the season winds down and teams prepare themselves for the playoffs.
As things currently stand, the Flames are in a very tight race as they sit tied with the Los Angeles Kings at 93 points for the year. Both respective teams have pulled far enough away from the Sharks who are 6pts behind with two games remaining, however the kings could quite easily put together a strong finish ultimately relinquishing the Flames of their final playoff spot.
And to make matters even more interesting, is that if the Kings were to better the Flames over their next three games, Calgary really only has a chance to surpass the Jets who hold one extra point at the moment. All things considered, this is an exciting time of the year for any and all Flames fans, and this race to the finish should be a nail bitter!
It’s tough to really predict which of the Flames or Kings are sitting in a better position as they both hold identical records over their previous ten, and neither necessarily has a better schedule, but here’s the kicker – they play each other Thursday night and that game, should, seal each other’s fate…so I would imagine.
In terms of beating out the Kings for the final playoff spot, this is a team who has won two Stanley Cups over the past three seasons, and have made the playoffs over the past five. The majority of their roster is still intact and they have a lot of experience and talent. Their current play would not be indicative of this as they are flirting with their first playoff miss since 2009, however if we’ve learnt anything about the Calgary Flames this season it’s to wait and be surprised.
In terms of their game tonight, the Flames will be without netminder Karri Ramo who is out with a lower body injury suffered in the team’s 4-0 beating over the Edmonton Oilers. The Flames will certainly need their tender back as they continue to push for the playoffs, and especially when if they secure their spot! For the time being, Hiller will start as Brad Thiessen steps in as relief.
"(Ramo's) day-to-day," Hartley said. "At the same time, Jonas Hiller came in, and what a clutch performance."
Thiessen who isn’t exactly a rookie, has spent the majority of his career in the minors and is currently sitting with a 3.02GAA and 0.905 SV% over a stretch of 32 games with the Adirondack Flames; not exactly spectacular numbers, but he should hold down the fort while Ramo heals. "It's tough to see someone go down,'' said Hiller. "We'll see how it is. It's been like that the whole year. If I get the chance to play I want to play as well as possible."
As has been the case for what seems the last two months of play, tonight is a MUST win for this group however the team hasn’t been showing signs of stress or worry which is something that is crucial to success.
I’ve previously expressed that teams lacking a certain level of experience tend to buckle under pressure and given how real the playoffs are now becoming to this group, we would only expect that some of the younger guys start to make mental mistakes and show signs of being nervous, but as Hartley offers, it’s just not that case!
"We're having fun now," Hartley said. "I don't sense any nervousness. We're down to three games. Let's enjoy them."
Arizona who is sitting in the Western Conference basement will not likely roll over for the Flames tonight, either, as they are coming off a 5-3 win over San Jose on Saturday night and are plenty rested.
"When you get in a situation like ours, you never want losing to become accepted," coach Dave Tippet offered.
This is essentially what you want to hear from your coaching staff when your team is in the dumps, but on that same note there are about a couple hundred thousand Calgarians asking that the Yotes just roll over and die – nay, these guys won’t be doing any asking!? They are going to personally be the ones to bury the desert dogs in their backyards!
The Flames have dominated the Yotes so far this year winning all four of their head to head matches, but also outscoring the group by a margin of 17-6. While this would certainly tip the scales in the favour of the good guys, Calgary will need their veteran guys to ensure the team plays as a cohesive group and that no one tries to do too much, ultimately causing confusion on the ice.
As mentioned tonight will be a nail bitter and a boat load of excitement as a big W going in to the game against the Kings would make that matchup even more entertaining! Fans are certainly getting their money worth and while this team has certainly been deserving of a postseason berth, I think the masses are pretty pleased with what they’ve received to date. Here’s an added pregame video for you, courtesy of the NHL!
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