FLAMES TAME THE FLYERS
Calgary beats Philadelphia 4- 1
They’re back in the mix, yes.
But the Calgary Flames aren’t at the finish line just yet.
Which explains why there was desperation in the air even well after the Retro- jersey clad fans had filed out of the Scotiabank Saddledome following Thursday’s 4- 1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Understandably, everyone — players, coaches, fans, and media — quickly checked the National Hockey League scoreboard immediately after the final buzzer sounded.
Improving to 39- 27- 5 with Thursday’s victory, their 83 points pulls them back ahead of the Los Angeles Kings for the eighth seed in the Western Conference ( specifically third in the Pacific Division).
“They’re all important,” said Flames head coach Bob Hartley. “They’re huge. We have 11 games ( remaining) and getting down to the final game in just a few weeks and we’re going to be talking about the final game of the season. What’s in store for us? We don’t know, we’re going to have to play those games to figure ( it) out.”
Against the flailing Flyers, they definitely needed some clarity. Especially after being outmuscled 4- 0 by the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night and falling slightly out of a playoff spot.
It didn’t help matters any that just two provinces to the East, the Winnipeg Jets beat the Blues 2- 1 in a shootout to collect another two points ( 84 in total). The good news for the Flames was that the Minnesota Wild stayed stagnant with 85 points after losing 3- 2 to the Washington Capitals.
But, taking care of their own business first, they survived a tight- checking scoreless first period, stayed ahead of the game in the second, and added onto their lead in the third.
Goals from defencemen Dennis Wideman, TJ Brodie, a power play shot from Sean Monahan on a Johnny Gaudreau feed, and Gaudreau’s five- on- three marker allowed them to swat away the visitors.
“It was huge,” Gaudreau said. “It was one of our real important games in this little segment ... it could have been ( a trap game), but in between the first and second, our leaders made sure we kept our heads on straight and came out flying in the second and third.”
Yes, winning on Thursday was important to the home boys because they needed to stop the bleeding on a two- game losing skid.
But it was also vital for the Flames given their upcoming schedule.
With 11 games left on their docket, they’ll be facing a handful of non- contenders, including the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday afternoon and Colorado and Dallas next week before taking off on a five- game road trip.
“Every point now is a really big point,” said Flames goalie Karri Ramo who stopped 26 of 27 shots. “As you guys see, the standings are really tight so every point is really important. ( Thursday) we stuck to the plan and played a 60- minute game.”
Heading into the game, the visitors were struggling on the road with zero wins in seven tries away from Wells Fargo Center. But, still, the Flames knew the task would have its’ challenges.
Just a few weeks ago, they edged the home- ice Flyers 3- 2. Back then, it took some work from goaltender Karri Ramo to help them stay in the game.
“I think we learned a lot from that game,” Ramo said. “When we got ahead, we were prepared that they were going to come hard and push. We knew we needed to have an extra gear and step up.
“We didn’t stand around and watch.”
Including assisting on Monahan’s power- play goal and a marker of his own, Gaudreau pulled ahead of Nashville’s Filip Forsberg in the rookie scoring race. Forsberg had 55 points heading into the night.
“Obviously I want to be one of the top rookies in the league as long as I’m playing well and the team’s playing well,” Gaudreau said.
“We’re in a playoff race right now. Everything just seems to be going the right way right now so hopefully we keep it going.”