RACE TO THE NHL PLAYOFFS
Flames could clinch berth this week
No player or coach will tell you what they really think, even if they do have a preference when it comes to a first-round NHL playoff matchup.
Right now, as they return home from a three-game road trip and prepare for a four-game home stand, the Calgary Flames are simply looking for that X. It’s the post-season-defining marker next to their name in the standings and it could come as early as Wednesday, depending on a few different scenarios, including if the Flames beat the visiting Colorado Avalanche on Monday and the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday, combined with a Kings loss in Edmonton on Tuesday.
“We’re just trying to get in,” Sean Monahan said after Saturday’s 3-2 overtime victory over the St. Louis Blues at Scottrade Center. “Once you get in, anything can happen. Whatever team it is and we’re in, we’ll be ready for, so our goal is just to get in.
“You can’t get too comfortable in this league and we’re chasing the teams ahead of us and not looking behind. That’s our mentality.”
Currently, they sit in the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference with 88 points and a 42-29-4 record. Five teams have already qualified for the 2017 NHL post-season: the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference, while the Washington Capitals, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Pittsburgh Penguins are in from the Eastern Conference.
But outside of (most likely) the Western Conference-leading Blackhawks, home-ice advantage is completely up in the air.
Matt Bartkowski was with the Boston Bruins in 2014-15 when they were in a battle down the stretch and wound up missing the post-season by two points despite a 41-27-14 record and 96 points.
The situation the Flames are in right now — creeping toward a playoff spot in the coming days — is no less pressure-filled, but much different than fighting for their playoff lives.
“I’ve been in something like this before, but on the other side of it. And it’s not fun when that happens,” Bartkowski said. “We beat L.A. (5-2 on March 19), that was big. Beating St. Louis (3-2 in overtime Saturday) was big to kind of separate ourselves. And that (10game winning) run we went on, that really helps.
“It not only gets us in, but it distances ourselves.”
The formula, for those of you needing a refresher, is this:
Eight teams in each conference qualify and are separated in four brackets by division. Each bracket consists of the top three teams in the division plus a wild card. The seeding pits the lower-seeded wild-card team against the division winner with the best record. The other wild card plays against the other division winner. The other two series see the No. 2 and No. 3 teams from each division clash. Got it? Good. Because the Flames, according to Bartkowski, aren’t thinking about it.
“I don’t think the guys are really worried about who we’re going to play, or whatever,” he said. “We’re just more worried about the process and getting there and maintaining our play because when we’re at our best or close to it, we’re pretty tough to beat.
“It doesn’t really matter who you play.”
If the playoffs were to begin on Monday, the Flames would likely square off against the Pacific Division-leading Anaheim Ducks.
But just for fun, here’s a rundown of three potential playoff opponents Calgary could face:
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
1st in Central Division/1st in the Western Conference — (48-21-6) 102 points Playoff potential: Keep in mind, this would be the scenario only if the Flames fell to the second wildcard spot and the Blackhawks continued to maintain the best record in the Western Conference. It’s highly unlikely Chicago will slip, although the Blackhawks did get routed by Florida on Saturday.
SAN JOSE SHARKS
2nd in Pacific Division — (42-26-7) 91 points Playoff potential: The Sharks have been slipping for a while now and Saturday’s 7-2 beat-down by the Nashville Predators was, perhaps, rock bottom. Losers of six straight, and 3-7-0 in their past 10, it seems likely that Calgary could catch the Sharks at some point. That feat seemed impossible only a few weeks ago.
ANAHEIM DUCKS
1st in Pacific Division — (40-23-11) 91 points Playoff potential: It seems inevitable that these teams will crash at some point in the post-season, and with the way the Ducks have come on lately, you never know. They’re 7-2-1 in the past 10 games and winners of three straight.
EDMONTON OILERS
3rd in Pacific Division — (41-25-9) 91 points Playoff potential: It’s the dream scenario for Albertans, especially those into nostalg ia. And it could happen, especially if the Sharks keep slipping. With the way things are at the top of the Pacific Division, the odds of a Battle of Alberta playoff edition get better each day.
We’re just trying to get in. Once you get in, anything can happen. Whatever team it is ... we’ll be ready for.