No team in the NHL has been involved in more nail-biters.
So it’s only fitting that, in a season that has been defined by an almost-impossible-to-wrap-your-head-around amount of one-goal games, the Calgary Flames’ playoff fate won’t be determined until the very late stages.
It may not be the ideal scenario — it would be far less stressful if their invite was already clinched — but the Flames need to embrace this opportunity, to relish it even.
Down to the short strokes on the schedule, they’re locked in a three-team battle for the final berth in the Western Conference. The Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators are the other wildcard wannabes.
Chomp, chomp.
“It sets us up great for going into the playoffs,” grinned Flames defenceman MacKenzie Weegar, “since we are already playing playoff hockey.”
Question is, will they be playing playoff hockey — real playoff hockey — next weekend? To have a shot, they’ll likely need to go three-for-three on their remaining dates, starting with Saturday’s Hockey Night in Canada showdown against the Canucks in Vancouver (8 p.m. MT, CBC, Sportsnet 960 The Fan).
The Jets and Flames are currently tied with 89 points apiece, although the Winnipeggers have four games to go and the Calgarians have only a hat-trick of chances to add to their haul.
The Predators, also with four still to play, have 88 points. They will go toe-to-toe Saturday with the Jets, so there is guaranteed to be a mix of good news and bad news on the out-of-town scoreboard.
But imagine this, and it’s not at all far-fetched … If the Predators prevail in Winnipeg, be it in regulation or extra-time, and the Flames collect two points in Vancouver, the locals would climb into eighth.
“Every year, your goal is to be playing meaningful hockey in April,” said forward Blake Coleman. “And we are. It feels we’ve been playing must-win games for a month now.”
And, for the most part, winning ’em.
As they packed up for Vancouver, the Flames had been victorious in five of their past six. Dating back to early March, they’re on a 10-4-2 run.
“With the year we had … I feel like we haven’t played good, I haven’t been good, and three games left and we’re tied (with the Jets),” said starting netminder Jacob Markstrom, who was superb in Wednesday’s had-to-have-it victory in Winnipeg. “To be in this situation, we have to try to take advantage of it.”
The Canucks, already assured an early exit, will be rarin’ to spoil the fun for a fierce rival. The season series has, so far, featured three matchups that were decided by a single snipe.
The Predators visit the Saddledome for a rare Monday must-see, and the San Jose Sharks will swing — or swim — through for Game 82.
“We have to win all three, in our opinion,” Coleman said. “That’s our mindset is you want to rely on other teams as little as possible. Obviously, it’s nice that we get Nashville head-to-head, so it gives us a little bit of a chance to put them down. But it’s more about the way we’ve playing … We’ve found ways lately to win, which we hadn’t been doing earlier this year. Coming back, one-goal games, overtime, whatever. It’s coming together and I think that’s the biggest reason for optimism is just the way we’ve been playing.
“I just think we’re finally playing at least close to our capability,” he added. “Everybody really wants to get in and win, and I think we’re really focusing on the one-game-at-a-time approach and it’s brought a little bit better out of our game. And I think it’s just that desire. Everybody wants to be a difference-maker right now and be the reason or help get our team in.”
As Weegar pointed out prior to Friday’s flight to Vancouver, you won’t complete this sort of climb without every guy pulling their weight.
“It really comes down to bringing your best individually. And then if you bring your best, it contributes to the team,” he said. “I think lately, it’s been four lines and three pairs. You could even say it’s been five lines and eight different defencemen that have been bringing it. Everybody is contributing right now, and that’s how we have to keep this thing going.”
Keep it going or go their separate ways.
At this point, with a few presumably nail-biting nights to go, it’s that simple.
“We have to win all three games and we have to get some results with us,” said workhorse defenceman Rasmus Andersson. “You can’t just look at other teams and say, ‘I hope they lose’ and then we don’t win. We just have to take care of our own business and we’ll see where that takes us.”
wgilbertson@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/WesGilbertson
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