Team keeps an even keel as the best of the west
‘Lots of hockey left,’ says Peters, as Calgary sits atop conference for first time in years
The Calgary Flames wrapped up the weekend’s slate of games and sat in a place they hadn’t been in some 25 years.
Even with Sunday’s 1-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers, their record of 19-10-2 had them in first place overall in the Western Conference for the first time since Jan. 5, 1993, a statistic that was generated by Sportsnet Stats after Saturday’s 5-2 win over the Nashville Predators.
It’s impressive, no doubt. It has people questioning whether or not this 2018-19 edition is an “elite” team.
Internally, the Flames are tempering matters slightly. It is, after all, only 31 games into the season.
“Lots of hockey left,” said Calgary head coach Bill Peters over the weekend as they faced a tough stretch of games, including a back-to-back set that included a Battle of Alberta on Sunday. “If I do the math right, there’s 51 games left. So we can prove to be elite over the next 51, if that’s the case, right? I think we could become elite. I don’t think we’re there yet. But we could become elite if we continue to follow the process and continue to make steps each and every month.”
Last month, for example, saw progress. Heading into Sunday’s game, they were riding a fivegame winning streak.
They were 9-1-1 in their previous 11 outings, part of a 14-4-2 run since an embarrassing 9-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on home ice Oct. 25. Since that date, they’ve cleaned their act up defensively and won their share of difficult games. They’ve also scored a pile of goals (107 in total).
They faced adversity during the weekend slate without their captain Mark Giordano and top shutdown centre Mikael Backlund. Goaltenders Mike Smith and David Rittich are proving to be a capable tandem. All good news.
But Matthew Tkachuk isn’t about to get carried away with their lofty status atop the West. “We want to be known as a team that can consistently be at the top of the leaderboard,’’ he said. “We want to send a message that the first 30 games haven’t been a fluke for us.”
They also need the ability to bounce back, to rebound. To not let one bad game turn into two. Into three.
Take Sunday’s game in Edmonton.
The Oilers took advantage of a tired group that took too many penalties and derailed its momentum. They also limited the effect Calgary’s top line of Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm had on the game as they were kept off the scoreboard.
Teams are starting to catch on to their tendencies. The Flames will need to make adjustments to continue their quest of being a member of the NHL’s exclusive club of elite teams, a gap that is getting smaller and smaller with each passing season, said defenceman Travis Hamonic.
“Guess we can’t keep it a secret anymore, right?” said the Flames defender when reminded of the fact the Flames began the week leading the conference. “When teams see that, you know you’re going to see teams’ best (effort). It seems that in my nine years in the league this is the closest the teams are. It seems like every night is a dogfight. Any night things can happen and any game can go one way or the other. That just shows how good the league is and how good the players are.
“To be competing and pushing for that spot at the top, I think that’s good. I think it’s encouraging. But at the same time, we have a long ways to go for our team.”
Tkachuk agrees.
“I don’t know if we’re there yet,” he said. “But I think we can be. I think an elite team is whether you’re playing them in Game 1 or Game 80, you know what to expect from them. They’re normally at the top of the leaderboard throughout that stretch. They don’t have many lulls and it’s not really as much about being hot and cold.
“It’s about being consistent throughout the whole year.”
Let’s be clear. The Flames have 40 points, but have played one more game than second-place Nashville (19-10-1) and thirdplace Colorado (17-8-5). Both teams have 39 points. Winnipeg (18-9-2) is sitting fourth with 38 points and 29 games played, while Anaheim (16-11-5) has 37 points and has played one more game than the Flames.
Things are tightly contested at this juncture.
But Hamonic feels all the signs are pointing in the right direction for the Flames to pull away.
“We believe,” he said. “I think we’ve got a great group. We’ve got a high-end skilled team, a team that works extremely hard and a team of guys that really like to play for each other. I think that’s pretty evident.
“That’s a huge component to an organization. Guys that really want to play and win and lay it on the line for one another. It’s still early in the season, we still have a long ways to go to achieve our goal. We believe in each other and our team and the players in our dressing room that we can keep chugging along.”
ICE CHIPS:
The Flames recalled Ryan Lomberg from the Stockton Heat of the American Hockey League and dispatched defenceman Rinat Valiev and right-winger Anthony Peluso to the team’s top minor-league affiliate … With Giordano serving a two-game suspension over the weekend for kneeing Minnesota Wild captain Mikko Koivu last week, Valiev was an insurance policy in case one of their blue-liners was injured. Meanwhile, Lomberg still must serve the final game of his two-game sentence for his late scrap with Wild defender Matt Dumba. That means he will sit out Wednesday’s clash against the Philadelphia Flyers … Peluso played only one game, on Sunday, which saw him log 2:28 of ice time. Flames forward James Neal is partnering with the Calgary Police Foundation and the Calgary Flames Foundation to launch a community initiative that will help youth facing cultural barriers. Throughout the season, Neal will lend his time to Power Play, a free weekly drop-in program delivered with the Calgary Police Service and Hockey Calgary. It will engage around 70 to 100 youths, aged six to 17, giving participants the opportunity to learn how to skate and play hockey while interacting with Calgary police officers on the ice in a safe and supportive environment. Neal will also invite youths to watch Flames home games from his personal seats, accompanied by a Calgary police officer to help demonstrate that the officer is a safe adult.