With a record of 6–3–1 in their last ten games, the Flames have rebounded from their porous start. However, in the bigger picture, they moved from 32nd in the league by points percentage to 31st. And the tougher climbs are still coming. The Flames look ahead at the most difficult remaining schedule in the NHL. Parity has never been more prevalent than it has been in this NHL season, with the majority of teams sitting around the 0.500 mark. Any team can beat another on any given night. Having a tougher schedule doesn’t mean you are going to lose more. But it is more statistically probable.
Average NHL strength of remaining schedule
Two sites that measure the strength of schedule remaining are PowerRankingsGuru.com and Tankathon.com. I have taken the average of both websites to limit the chance of error for one individual site. The teams have been ranked by their average score given by both websites. The higher the rank, the more difficult a team’s remaining schedule is. Enter, the Calgary Flames.
| Rank | Team Name | PowerRankingsGuru.com | Tankathon.com | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calgary Flames | 2 | 1 | 1.5 |
| 1 | Detroit Red Wings | 1 | 2 | 1.5 |
| T-3 | Buffalo Sabres | 7 | 5 | 6 |
| T-3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4 | 8 | 6 |
| T-3 | Montreal Canadiens | 3 | 9 | 6 |
| 6 | Winnipeg Jets | 10 | 3 | 6.5 |
| T-7 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 8 | 7 | 7.5 |
| T-7 | Philadelphia Flyers | 5 | 10 | 7.5 |
| 9 | St. Louis Blues | 12 | 4 | 8 |
| 10 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 6 | 11 | 8.5 |
| T-11 | Utah Mammoth | 15 | 6 | 10.5 |
| T-11 | Ottawa Senators | 9 | 12 | 10.5 |
| 13 | New York Rangers | 11 | 14 | 12.5 |
| 14 | Florida Panthers | 14 | 13 | 13.5 |
| T-15 | Minnesota Wild | 17 | 15 | 16 |
| T-15 | Chicago Blackhawks | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| 17 | Vancouver Canucks | 18 | 17 | 17.5 |
| 18 | Seattle Kraken | 13 | 23 | 1819 |
| 19 | Washington Capitals | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| 20 | Carolina Hurricanes | 19 | 22 | 20.5 |
| 21 | Nashville Predators | 24 | 18 | 21 |
| 22 | Dallas Stars | 23 | 21 | 22 |
| 23 | Edmonton Oilers | 26 | 19 | 22.5 |
| 24 | Boston Bruins | 22 | 24 | 23 |
| 25 | New Jersey Devils | 21 | 28 | 24.5 |
| 26 | LA Kings | 25 | 26 | 25.5 |
| 27 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 28 | 25 | 26.5 |
| 28 | Colorado Avalanche | 27 | 27 | 27 |
| T-29 | Vegas Golden Knights | 32 | 29 | 30.5 |
| T-29 | San Jose Sharks | 31 | 30 | 30.5 |
| T-29 | Anaheim Ducks | 30 | 31 | 30.5 |
| T-29 | New York Islanders | 29 | 32 | 30.5 |
An uphill battle for Calgary
According to Tankathon, the Flames will face teams at a 0.594 clip for the remainder of the season, which is higher than the 0.585 that Detroit will play. For comparison’s sake, the Boston Bruins sit at a 0.594 points percentage right now, so, on average, the Flames will play the Bruins for the remainder of the year. PowerRankingsGuru uses a weighted scale based on their power rankings (the Flames rank a little bit higher than they do in other weighted rankings because of their recent hot streak, for example), which is why the Flames feature in second on their rankings. Whichever model you look at, the Flames have it tough for the remainder of the year.
The Flames face the Ducks four times, the Avalanche three times, and the Stars, Golden Knights, and Capitals two times each. Their easiest matchups are the Sabres, Canucks, and Blues once each. Their schedule isn’t too bad until the Olympic break in February, but March and April look daunting. Pairing that alongside the likely departure of a veteran or two off the roster, this Flames team will definitely be tested.
A look at teams fighting for the bottom of the standings
The Sabres, Jets, and Blues are also in for a tough road ahead as they find themselves in the bottom ten in the consolidated rankings. The Canucks rank in the middle of the pack, while the Predators find themselves in the latter half of the rankings, suggesting they might jump up a bit in the standings.
