Crunch time continues as Flames face Wild at home
George Johnson, Calgary Herald
Rounds 10 through 15 always decide a heavyweight title bout.
The race for post-season hockey is no different.
The time for sparring is at an end. From here on in, who's left standing is going to be all about trading haymakers.
"They're a team that plays a very similar system to us," said Calgary Flames coach Bob Hartley of tonight's opponent at the Scotiabank Saddledome, the Minnesota Wild. "They have great speed. They have defencemen jumping into the play like (Ryan) Suter, (Tomas) Brodin and it seems that since the trade for (goaltender Devan) Dubnyk they've gained some life.
"They're playing much better," he said. "Very dangerous team offensively."
L.A.'s 4-3 come-from-behind victory over Chicago at the Staples Centre on Wednesday night further muddied the situation. The Kings moved to within a point of the Flames in the Pacific Division and Western Conference.
As of Thursday morning, four teams were huddled within two points of the final two post-season spots in the Pacific. Just seven points separate the Flames and Vancouver Canucks in joint-seventh divisionally from the 12th place Wild.
"We have to be aware," said Hartley. "It's our business. Obviously we're gonna look but at the same time we just have to play our game. Once we're on the ice, we can't focus on anything else than our job. We're starting February right there. We're in the playoff picture and that's motivating.
"We feel it from the fans, we feel it in the city. Just go out there and do our job as good as we can and enjoy it."
After five years of missing the playoffs, from a Calgary standpoint, simply being in this position is a blast.
"In the mornings, you're usually watching highlights," conceded captain Mark Giordano. "You realize which teams are around you and who's won and who hasn't. It's gonna be like that for the rest of the year.
Fortunately for us, we're in a good spot as a team right now and we just have to continue to pile up points."
Calgary Flames captain Mark Giordano skates during practice in this file photo. Christina Ryan / Calgary Herald
Hartley's gang is on a roll. The Flames are a sprightly 5-1 in their latest seven-game segment.
Not that the Wild can put any sort of stock in that efficient run. They're going to need to start rolling here to make up lost ground themselves.
"We understand our situation," said Hartley, "but they certainly understand their situation, too. Let's make no mistake about this. Now one's going to give anything from now until the end of the year, you're going to have to earn everything you get.
"We're OK with this.
"There's going to be so many one-goal games now, there are so many battles in a game — the battle of the goalies, specialty team battles, power play vs. PK — but we're going out there every game on a mission."
NOTES: Calgary-born Wild D-man Matthew Dumba is slated to play his first regular-season NHL game in his hometown. Suter is set to go, too, after missing Wednesday practice at the 'Dome with the catch-all "lower-body" injury … Flames' LW Curtis Glencross, who did skate with his mates Wednesday, did not see the ice this morning and has suffered a bit of a setback in his comeback bid.
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