Red-hot Flames recharging for a memorable finish
CALGARY — The players were en route to sunnier destinations on Wednesday, a day after wrapping up their final game before the National Hockey League’s All-Star weekend, but Brad Treliving was stuck in the snow.
“We won’t be going to the beach,” said the Calgary Flames general manager.
The Flames kicked off a nine-day hiatus that includes the all-star break and their NHL-mandated bye week, meaning they won’t return to the ice until Feb. 1 on the road against the Washington Capitals.
They went out with a bang in Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime win over the Carolina Hurricanes. It solidified their second overall spot in the NHL standings, improved them to 33-13-5 through 51 games, and extended their point streak to nine games. They’re 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and tops in the Western Conference.
So, despite a return of the white stuff and dipping temperatures, Treliving had little to complain about as everyone at the Scotiabank Saddledome went their separate ways.
“Certainly,” he said, “if you’re in a better position, your mood is usually better.”
Treliving aims to keep the good vibes rolling, so his plans during the break include plenty of work, instead of a vacation. He and his staff spent Wednesday scouting the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Red Deer, which drew various NHL GMs and doubled as a preNHL trade deadline powwow.
He’ll also spend time with the Flames’ American Hockey League team in Stockton to observe their prospects in a pair of road games.
The Flames recently had midterm meetings with their scouting staff to get a handle on how they can improve. Does that answer come from within? Or do they need to shop elsewhere to secure a depth forward, a veteran defenceman or a backup netminder, ahead of the Feb. 25 deadline?
“Probably, for the most part, if teams haven’t had their (scouting) meetings, they’re having them right now,” Treliving said. “You try to do that five or six weeks before the deadline, to get a sense of what your people see.
“And you start the dialogue with teams. I don’t necessarily think this year is any different from year’s past. What changes is where your position is, right? What you may be doing or not be doing … I say it all the time, and it sounds boring, but we continue to watch our team and continue to see if there are ways out there to help you.”
The Flames are in an enviable spot right now, though there’s still snow on the ground and plenty of hockey left on the table (31 games).
But there’s no reason to think, at this point in the season, that the Flames won’t be there at the end of the regular-season race and beyond.
“We don’t talk like that,” Treliving said. “We’re like everybody else right now. We’re trying to make the playoffs. They’ll put an asterisk beside teams that make it, we don’t have one yet … we think we have a good team. We’ve played well.
“But there’s lots more to give and a lot of work ahead of us.”
That was the subject of his post-game chat with the team, a rare dressing room pep talk from the boss on Tuesday night. The gist of it?
“Remind everybody to get some rest and enjoy their time off,” he said. “But recognize that, when we come back, it’s a different game. We’ve got lots of young players, so we try to remind them that the league ratchets up. After the break, when we’ll be at 30-some odd games left … those 30-some odd games go by really, really quickly, and just to prepare for it.”
Flames head coach Bill Peters said the same thing, although after Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime win against the Hurricanes, his message may have fallen on deaf ears. So, it was a good thing the boss hammered the message home.
“Once that (puck) went in, they were done listening to me,” Peters said with a chuckle, referring to Mikael Backlund’s goal with 15 seconds elapsed in the extra frame.
“You know what? My message is: ‘Hey, you’ve earned the opportunity to enjoy your break. We’re in a real good spot and enjoy your family and friends, be safe. And be ready to go when you come back to work.’ But Tree had a better message than that.”