It’s been a rollercoaster season for the Calgary Flames, with the outlook for the team seemingly changing every week. In particular the month of April has already been a wild one, with the team looking out of it one day and then back in the hunt the next.
After a pair of wins and a Wild loss last week, the Flames once again have their destiny in their own hands to close out the season.
The Flames’ current situation
Even with a loss last night against the Golden Knights, the Flames still have a chance to control their own fate down the stretch. Here’s where things stand right now.
| Team | Points | Games Remaining |
|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Blues | 93 | 4 |
| Minnesota Wild | 89 | 5 |
| Calgary Flames | 85 | 6 |
With a franchise-record 12th-straight win, the Blues have all but locked up the top wild card spot in the West, putting a four-point gap between them and the Wild and a monster nine-point gap between them and the Flames. There’s no reason for the Flames to even be talking about the Blues anymore, they’ve left Calgary in the dust.
The Wild however are well within striking distance. While the Blues have continue to rise up the standings, the Wild have continued to fall having lost four straight games.
Since the 4 Nations Face-Off break, the Wild have posted an ugly 8–10–3 record. The Flames meanwhile are sitting on a 10–6–5 record in that same time span, gaining six points on the Wild in the process.
Chasing the Wild
With the St. Louis Blues going on a ridiculous 12-game win streak, the Flames path to the playoffs now goes through the Wild. Although the Blues winning streak came at the worst time for Calgary, the good news is the Flames have a head to head matchup with the Wild and a massive opportunity for a four-point game this coming week. Here’s how each teams remaining schedule looks to close out the season.
| Calgary Schedule | Minnesota Schedule |
|---|---|
| @SJ | vs. DAL |
| @ANA | vs. SJ |
| vs. MIN | @CGY |
| vs. SJ | @VAN |
| vs. VGK | vs. ANA |
| @ L.A. |
Both teams have what can be considered three must-win games down the stretch. The big difference is, of course, the Flames’ extra game to close out the season. Due to the L.A. fires earlier this year, the Flames had their game against the Kings bumped to the end of their schedule. This could end up being a massive development.
The way things are trending, the Kings are likely to be locked into their playoff position by the time they square off against Calgary on April 17. In other words, they’ll have absolutely nothing to play for and will likely rest most of their key players.
If Calgary can win their next two games against the bottom feeders Sharks and Ducks, and the Wild drop their game against the Stars and win against the Sharks, the Flames could go into their matchup with the Wild on April 11 with a chance to climb into a tie for playoff spot with a win. In that scenario, the Flames would head into their final three games with the ability to make the playoffs regardless of how the Wild fare, given Calgary has a game in hand.
It’s far from over for Calgary
Of course, there are plenty of things that must happen for the Flames to get into the playoffs, but their chances look much better than they did even just a couple of days ago. If they can handle their business against some bottom feeders and get some out-of-town help from the Stars, Friday’s matchup with the Wild will be the biggest game at the Dome in three years.
