Fans of the Calgary Flames were eager to watch the out-of-town scoreboard yesterday, as both the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues were in action. The best-case scenario would’ve been that both these teams lose their respective games in regulation, resulting in the Flames having a huge opportunity to grab the second wild card spot in the West.
However things didn’t end in Calgary’s favour as the Wild would go on to defeat the Vancouver Canucks in overtime 3-2, capping off the comeback. As for the Blues, they would get a point but would lose to the Seattle Kraken in a 4-3 shootout loss.
Calgary now trails the Blues by four points with just three games remaining in the season. The hope is still alive, but if the Flames want a shot at the playoffs, they’ll need everything to go perfectly from here on out.
Flames cannot afford regulation losses
At this point, the Flames will need to go 3-0 to make the playoffs, or 2-0-1 at the worst. They cannot afford regulation losses, as getting one at this stage would essentially end their season.
#Flames situation after STL gets a point in a shootout loss, Minny two in OT.
— Pat Steinberg (@Fan960Steinberg) April 13, 2025
Calgary auto eliminated if:
– #mnwild get a point Tues vs. Anaheim.
– #stlblues regulation win Tues vs. Utah.
– Calgary loses again in regulation.
Flames must go minimum 2-0-1 and get help.
The Wild can clinch with one point, and the Blues will be desperate for a regulation win. If either one of them messes up the chance to punch their ticket, then this battle will go down to the wire.
Flames fans want playoff hockey
In a season that many predicted would land the Flames in the draft lottery, they’ve scratched and clawed their way into playoff contention. Despite the likely outcome of yet again finishing in a mediocre position, the Flames again control their destiny in regards to the postseason.
The Flames will also be giving their 2025 first-round pick to Montreal, as per the conditions of the Sean Monahan trade in 2022. At this point, fans would rather see some playoff games in Calgary than to have no playoffs and no first-round pick of their own. It seems like the team certainly agrees, as playoffs are always a fun time in the city. A heartbreaking end would be if the Flames were to finish barely below the playoff line.
Remaining schedule and chances
Both the Blues and the Wild have a game left. The Blues will host the Utah Hockey Club while the Wild will be hosting the Anaheim Ducks.
The Flames will be playing their next two games at home as tonight they take on the San Jose Sharks and then they’ll host the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday. Their season concludes in Los Angeles in what could very well be a playoff-clinching scenario.
As for current odds, following yesterday’s results, the Flames have an 18.7% chance for the postseason per MoneyPuck. There’s a path for the Flames to make the playoffs, but they’ll have to facilitate their biggest three-game winning streak of the year.
Puck drop for the Flames-Sharks game will be at 6 PM Mountain time.
