Flames say standards won’t slip in final nine games of the season

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The requirements keep the identical.

The Calgary Flames know they’re not making the playoffs this season. They’ll in all probability be formally eradicated from post-season rivalry sooner or later later this week, however the writing has been on the wall for some time now.

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In order that they’ve obtained to search out methods to remain motivated and engaged for his or her remaining 9 video games.

And when you wouldn’t count on them to say anything, the message from management is easy: The requirements and expectations haven’t modified.

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“Till the top right here, we’re going to compete and play as laborious as we are able to and attempt to win each recreation,” stated Flames captain Mikael Backlund. “The efficiency, clearly, is the primary focus. We need to play properly each night time and play to our construction and system and play with chew, whatever the scenario we’re in.”

That’s one thing the Flames are taking significantly.

Whereas there are some within the fanbase who would like to see them lose as a lot of their remaining 9 video games as attainable to enhance their probabilities within the draft lottery, the Flames themselves are all too conscious of the repercussions of normalizing the concept dropping is OK.

If the staff has any hope of getting again to being a playoff staff within the subsequent couple of years, they should have a tradition of profitable. That could be a little bit of a sports activities cliché, however that doesn’t make it any much less true.

“We need to instil the proper tradition, the proper perspective,” stated Flames winger Blake Coleman. “Our actuality is what it’s proper now, it will probably problem you if you’re on this spot to be a greater particular person, chief, teammate. You’ve nonetheless obtained to indicate up and depart it on the market.

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“For me and the remainder of the blokes who’ve been round a bit, it’s extra nearly exhibiting the tradition we count on from ourselves and from the younger guys. On the finish of the day you don’t need to have a dropping perspective and I feel the blokes have performed an excellent job conserving that out of our room.”

The Flames definitely didn’t seem like a staff that was mailing it in on Saturday night time after they put in a stable 60-minute effort in opposition to an excellent Los Angeles Kings staff and received 4-2.

To be truthful, that victory did snap a five-game dropping streak, so it hasn’t all been sunshine and roses not too long ago for the Flames, however it’s additionally not as in the event that they had been getting blown out in most of these latest defeats.

And the outcomes matter lower than the hassle and the enhancements the group makes enjoying throughout the Flames’ system.

“I don’t assume it adjustments from the start of the yr,” stated Flames head coach Ryan Huska. “They must study to play the sport laborious and play each recreation prefer it’s the final one they could play.

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“That must be your mentality on a regular basis, whether or not you’re in Sport 1 of the common season or Sport 82, when you’re within the playoffs or out of the playoffs … If you happen to don’t play with that mindset, then you definitely’re not going to enhance and other people will cross you by ultimately, so that they want to ensure they’re able to go on a regular basis.”

ICE CHIPS

Rasmus Andersson didn’t skate at Monday’s apply at WinSport however Huska stated it was only a upkeep day for the defenceman … Jacob Markstrom snapped a stick after permitting a objective halfway by apply, so we all know he’s nonetheless obtained the aggressive juices flowing … Andrew Mangiapane skated on his personal previous to the remainder of the group.

daustin@postmedia.com

X: @DannyAustin_9

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