When Flames GM Craig Conroy sees a staff that dropped 4 in a row earlier than narrowly beating the bottom-feeding Blackhawks and sports activities a 22-22-5 report by means of 49 video games, what does he assume?
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Stumbling into the all-star break was not the plan.
Sure, the Calgary Flames beat the Chicago Blackhawks 1-0 on Saturday night time. There’s some aid there for a staff that had beforehand dropped 4 straight video games.
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Two factors are two factors. They depend simply the identical on the finish of the season, no matter the way you performed.
However within the right here and now, the Flames weren’t precisely singing from the mountaintops about the best way they performed.
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Saturday’s sport was sloppy, by their very own admission, and the consequence would have been very completely different if Jacob Markstrom hadn’t stood on his head in web.
It was the most recent discouraging efficiency from a staff that, previous to their little shedding streak at dwelling, appeared prefer it was on the up-and-up.
That’s not how they give the impression of being anymore. A slender win over a foul opponent doesn’t change that.
“This final stretch has been powerful,” mentioned Flames centre Elias Lindholm, who scored Saturday’s solely purpose and will likely be representing the staff on the all-star sport through the break. “Our sport hasn’t been adequate and clearly after we play at dwelling we need to play nicely and play good in entrance of our followers, and clearly we haven’t given them good purpose to be right here.
“It’s clearly good to get two factors at present and hopefully everybody refreshes, reloads and comes again higher.”
The Flames are banking on this break coming on the proper time. They’re relying on guys getting a bit of relaxation, resetting mentally and returning to the ice on Feb. 6 in opposition to the Boston Bruins feeling rejuvenated and able to make a push.
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Over their six-game homestand, the Flames didn’t appear like the staff that was on the rise earlier in January.
They have been giving up breakaways at an alarming price. Their power-play went stagnant. Gamers whose sizzling play had been carrying the Flames went a bit of chilly.
Contained in the locker room and within the workplaces of the staff’s coaches, the hope is that a few of these errors will be defined away by psychological fatigue and {that a} break will serve them nicely.
“They don’t get many days off through the season, so it’s good for them to have just a few days the place they’ll assume nothing of it,” mentioned Flames head coach Ryan Huska. “I would like them to be sensible, be secure, take pleasure in time with their households and nonetheless, on the identical time, they’re professionals and so they’re sensible about what they achieve this they keep their conditioning after which we’ll come again and be able to go and be energized for a pleasant street journey.”
There are many folks outdoors of the Saddledome who’re questioning whether or not a post-all-star push could also be too little, too late, although. With the Flames in twelfth place within the Western Convention and 4 factors again of the second wild card place, GM Craig Conroy goes to must make selections on whether or not to recommit to Noah Hanifin, Elias Lindholm and Chris Tanev.
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Re-sign them or commerce them away? That’s been the query hanging over the Flames all season.
On the day he was launched because the Flames’ new GM final summer time, Conroy spoke about studying classes from Johnny Gaudreau leaving in free company in the summertime of 2022. He is aware of he can’t lose these guys for nothing the best way the Flames did with their star winger when he knowledgeable them last-minute that he wouldn’t be re-signing.
With the March 8 commerce deadline quick approaching, Conroy will likely be searching for the gamers he desires to re-sign to place pen to paper as quickly as potential.
And as he’s been doing all season, he’ll be trying on the state of the staff and coming to conclusions about whether or not to double down and decide to the present core long-term.
When he sees a staff that dropped 4 in a row earlier than narrowly beating the bottom-feeding Blackhawks and sports activities a 22-22-5 report by means of 49 video games, what does he assume?
It’s been the query being requested by Calgary hockey followers for ages.
Over the following six weeks or so, it’ll solely be requested louder.
daustin@postmedia.com
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