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The Calgary Flames are on a roll.
It’s been some time since lets say that confidently and comfortably.
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Final season, Flames followers waited for his or her crew to get it collectively and go on a run. It didn’t occur.
And the early days of the 2023-24 season have been regarding, to say the least, with even essentially the most optimistic Calgarians questioning whether or not GM Craig Conroy ought to simply begin flipping veterans for younger belongings or draft picks to fast-track a rebuild.
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That’s nonetheless on the desk. No one’s saying in any other case, particularly if key pending free brokers Noah Hanifin, Elias Lindholm and Chris Tanev aren’t re-signed by the commerce deadline. The Flames can’t threat shedding them at no cost after the season.
However proper now? You don’t must look very laborious to see that the Flames (20-18-5) are a fairly good hockey crew.
Saturday’s 3-1 win over the reigning Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights was simply the newest proof. The final month has offered loads extra.
The Flames have performed 14 video games since Dec. 14 of final yr.
They’ve bought a 9-4-1 report over that interval and have had in all probability their finest three-game stretch of the season this week. In back-to-back-to-back wins over the Ottawa Senators, Arizona Coyotes and the Golden Knights, the Flames have outscored their opponents 15-6.
Since ending off a four-game road-trip with losses to the Philadelphia Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks, the Flames have bounced again. They’ve executed so in a method that makes that defeat by the hands of the cellar-dweller Blackhawks appear virtually baffling.
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“We’ve bought a resilient crew, we’ve bought numerous guys stepping up and enjoying actually good hockey,” stated Flames winger Blake Coleman. “Actually, we’ve bought all people going proper now, which is nice, that’s the way in which we’ve bought to play. (Jacob Markstrom’s) been himself, he’s been red-hot for us. It’s been a terrific response after two robust highway losses and losses that might have set us again mentally, however all people’s been in good spirits and the boldness is rising greater and better on daily basis.”
Markstrom too courageous?
Coleman is correct to level out Markstrom’s play. He’s been nearly as good as any goaltender within the NHL lately and the results of Saturday’s recreation may need been very totally different had he not stood on his head throughout a livid second-period push by the Golden Knights. He wound up stopping 32 of the 33 pictures he confronted.
That he completed the sport sprawled on the ice making an attempt to cease pictures with a naked hand after he misplaced his glove felt virtually symbolic. Had Vegas scored within the final 5 seconds, it wouldn’t have mattered, however Markstrom’s too aggressive to only give one up.
It’s courageous, though possibly too courageous for a few of his teammates.
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“That’s the sort of man he’s,” Coleman stated. “He’s extremely aggressive, he’s bought a naked hand making an attempt to make a glove save with 5 seconds left on the clock. It’s not what we wish to see. We’d wish to have him hold his hand and hold enjoying for us, nevertheless it speaks to the sort of man he’s. He’s a giant motive we received the sport, however he’s bought that braveness and that character that’s been radiating by our crew in entrance of him.”
Markstrom isn’t the one Flames participant who’s rising to the event.
Coleman added two extra factors on Saturday evening. His offensive recreation has been a revelation this season. His two-way play has at all times been his calling card, however the 32-year-old scored his nineteenth objective on Saturday evening. That’s three again of his profession excessive of twenty-two, set in 2018-19 with the New Jersey Devils.
He’s additionally bought 37 factors. His profession excessive is 38, set final yr.
It’s price noting that the Flames are solely 43 video games into their season. Coleman goes to sail previous his career-best totals.
And he’s removed from alone in selecting up his recreation.
Nazem Kadri scored his 14th of the season on Saturday evening. He’s on a six-game level streak, with 4 objectives and 4 assists in that stretch. Mikael Backlund had two factors, too, and Connor Zary continued his wonderful rookie season with a heads-up help on Kadri’s objective.
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Most significantly, the Flames bought the win. They’re two video games over .500 for the primary time all season.
“We will’t go .500 anymore, we’ve bought to make up floor and catch groups,” Markstrom stated. “We’ve bought to string a couple of collectively and this was an excellent journey and we’ve bought to go dwelling and cost the battles tomorrow after which get again to work
“I feel it’s good. We’re by no means out of a recreation. Our begins have been actually good and we’re getting objectives from numerous totally different individuals. In the present day the power-play bought us an enormous objective after which the penalty-kill did a terrific job.”
The Flames will now return dwelling for a six-game homestand, starting Tuesday in opposition to the Coyotes, earlier than the all-star break. They should hold their sizzling streak up in the event that they wish to have any probability of constructing the playoffs. The groups round them are sizzling, too, most notably the Edmonton Oilers and Seattle Kraken.
There can be choices to be made earlier than the commerce deadline.
However for now, they’re enjoying some awfully good hockey.
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