Tkachuk gaffe a reflection of tough year
If Flames are to overcome long-shot odds to make playoffs, top players must perform
This sequence started exactly the way you'd want — one of your top talents with the puck on his stick.
Matthew Tkachuk, in this case, was determined to be the difference-maker for the Calgary Flames, trailing by one in the late stages of another game they couldn't afford to lose.
As Tkachuk chugged through his own end with a full head of steam, goalie Jacob Markstrom began his beeline to the bench for an extra attacker. Except that just as No. 19 reached the neutral zone, he was poke-checked by a back-pedalling opponent.
Tkachuk tried to slam on the brakes but spun out instead, missing on a one-handed swing in a last-ditch attempt to swat the puck to safety. As Ottawa Senators forward Connor Brown — responsible for forcing that turnover — fired a freebie into the empty net, Tkachuk buried his head in his hands.
The Flames, their playoff hopes already fading from slim toward none, had just squandered another shot to gain ground in the NHL'S North Division standings. Instead of sparking the comeback, their highest paid player and presumed captain of the future had sealed the result with a glaring mistake.
This isn't all on Tkachuk, but Monday's whoopsie/wipeout was another of those season-ina-nutshell moments. While the 23-year-old winger is typically trustworthy, that counted as his fourth giveaway of the night, a total topped only by fellow first-liner Johnny Gaudreau. You'd rather that your marquee men are leading the way in any other stat category.
“(Turnovers) always come from two areas — either trying to do too much or not trying to do enough,” Flames coach Darryl Sutter said after Wednesday's practice. “That's not something I'm going to publicly debate, but those are usually the two things.”
There's no debating this — the Flames need more from their go-to guys. And if they're going to salvage the season, somehow stay relevant in the race, they need it immediately. Their playoffs odds are long — according to the calculators at Sportclubstats.com, there is less than a five per cent chance that there will be hockey at the Saddledome past mid-may — but it's not too much to expect a desperate and determined push in their 11 remaining dates.
The Flames need nothing short of a sweep in their upcoming three-game home set against the Montreal Canadiens … and they can't slow down after that.
“Every game coming down the stretch, we're looking at 'em basically as do-or-dies,” said captain Mark Giordano. “And when you're playing a team that is directly ahead of you, head to head, it makes it obviously that much more important. It's an opportunity for us to get right back in it, if we can take care of business.”
Heading into Wednesday's action around the league, the Flames were trailing the fourthplace Habs by six points.
The Vancouver Canucks, with back-to-back victories since returning after a COVID-19 outbreak, are also a factor in the North Division, less of a long shot at this point than their rivals from Calgary. While both teams have games in hand on the Flames, that also means they have crammed schedules.
There are still shreds of hope for the Saddledome-dwellers, but as veteran voice Milan Lucic summed up after their most recent setback: “We've gotta stop hoping and start winning hockey games.”
It's time, beyond actually, for their take-charge types to do exactly that. Even if the Flames ultimately fail to climb back into contention, the next few weeks will be illuminating.
Who can they count on before they're counted out? Heading into Friday's first of three consecutive must-wins against the Canadiens, that is the biggest question.
Elias Lindholm, to his credit, is riding a six-game point streak, padding his lead as Calgary's most productive chap. Sutter thinks so highly of No. 28 that he has been banking on the workhorse centre to help both Gaudreau and Tkachuk elevate their games. For that line to really click, a shooting mentality is a must.
Sutter has praised Gaudreau's recent work, saying earlier this week that he's “played a lot better, been a lot more efficient and been a threat in terms of offence.” The wee winger has been rewarded with six points in a five-game span, but he mixed five giveaways with zero shots on net against the Sens, a scary stat line. Tkachuk, meanwhile, has gone seven straight without a goal.
As Giordano stressed, no individual can clean up this mess alone. But if the go-to guys aren't going, if they're not difference-makers in these desperation moments, playoffs will be nothing but a pipe dream.
Every game coming down the stretch, we're looking at 'em basically as do-or-dies.