If the Calgary Flames expect to make the Stanley Cup playoffs, the team will have to win games on home ice – or now anywhere. On February 21, it didn’t. Patrice Bergeron scored two goals as the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Bruins beat the Flames 4-3.
That loss puts the team in the last playoff position in the Western Conference. However, gaining ground is the Nashville Predators who have two games in hand and are only two points back.
As the team gets ready to proceed on its playoff run, in this post I want to keep Flames fans up-to-date on the news that is emerging from the team.
Related: Calgary Flames News & Rumors: Rittich, Tkachuk, Stone & Gaudreau
Item One: Brandon Davidson Is Playing, but not Scoring
Brandon Davidson is seeing more regular playing time these days; however, that playing time hasn’t yet translated into scoring. Davidson has played in four of the Flames’ last eight games, but he’s still searching for his first points of the season. He’s been sharing the third-pairing defensive with Alexander Yelesin.
Item Two: Matthew Tkachuk Both Scores and Fights
Matthew Tkachuk extended his point-scoring streak by picking up an assist on Mikael Backlund’s second goal of the game. However, as important to his team was that he got a five-minute major. In fact, after not going with the Edmonton Oilers Zach Kassian, he’s been a bit more feisty than normal.
After the Flames lost the lead in period #2, Tkachuk tried to give his team a bit of a spark when he fought the Bruins defenseman Jeremy Lauzon to a draw.
So far, the 22-year-old Tkachuk has 51 points (20 goals, 31 helpers) in 61 games. His assist, as noted, game him three goals and six assists in his current eight-game scoring run.
Item Three: Mikael Backlund Continues Strong February
Although Mikael Backlund found his mojo this month, he couldn’t lead the Flames to a win over the Bruins. His offense gave the team a 2-0 lead within the first three minutes of the game, but the Flames simply couldn’t hold that lead.
Backlund’s having a great offensive month of February and has scored six goals and five assists in the 10 games he’s played this month. For the season, he’s now scored 12 goals and 12 assists in 62 games.
Backlund’s a regular 40-point scorer, which he’s done for five seasons in a row. However, he’ll have to pick up his pace if he’s going to do that again this season. For sure, a couple of goals each game will do nicely.
Item Four: Johnny Gaudreau Scores in Friday’s Game
Johnny Gaudreau scored the Flames’ third goal just 3:23 into the game; and, at that point, it looked like a victory for the home team. But, not so much because it was the last goal the Flames would score on the evening.
Gaudreau has picked up his scoring in February and has scored two goals and nine assists in the 10 games he’s played. He now has 15 goals and 36 assists for 51 points in 62 games for the season.
Item Five: Cam Talbot Could Have Done Better Against the Bruins
After being staked to a 3-1 lead early in the first period, goalie Cam Talbot simply couldn’t hold the fort. He gave up four goals in 23 shots to let the Bruins back into the game. It was Talbot’s third loss in his last five games and the 32-year-old goalie now has a 9-10-1 with a goals-against-average of 2.83 and a .914 save percentage in 23 games.
Talbot also had a poor game in his start on Monday against the Anaheim Ducks, giving up four goals on just 30 shots. However, in that game, his team bailed him out by scoring more than the Ducks scored. He couldn’t do the same against the Bruins who came into Friday’s game with a record of 9-1-0 in their last 10 games.
Related: Calgary Flames News & Rumors: Davidson, Tkachuk, Gaudreau, Backlund & Talbot
What’s Next for the Calgary Flames?
The Flames will take to the road when they visit Detroit on Sunday. The team is going to need a run of games with points to make the playoffs. However, after playing the Red Wings, the team has games against the Bruins again, the Nashville Predators, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Florida Panthers – all on the road.
That’s a tough stretch, and they simply need to play better.
