The Flames are now 13-11-13 in one-goal games this year. Coleman, shaking his head, described that stat as "pretty incredible."
"You've got to do what you can control and whether it's extra pucks after practice, extra time on the bike for energy in third periods and overtime ... Whatever you need to do to be 1% better," he said. "Because we're 1% off.
"We all feel like we could be a team in a much better position right now, but at the end of the day, it's points and it's structured the way it is for a reason - you've got to win hockey games.
"For whatever reason, we haven't matured as a group yet and have found ways to win those games."
The Flames enter the day trailing the Winnipeg Jets by five points for the final playoff spot.
"The whole last week has felt like do-or-die. It's going to continue to be that approach from here on," Coleman said. "It's not unheard of to go win six, seven games in a row - it happens all the time in this league. You've got to have guys who believe in themselves and each other. Guys are pissed off. Guys are frustrated. It can be a really good, useful tool, or it can be the end of it. If guys channel it the right way and we get on a little roll, then you put the league on notice."
The Kirill Kaprizov Show ™ has arrived in Western Canada.
For the second time in three games, the winger supplied all of Minnesota's offence as the Wild edged out the Canucks 2-1 on Thursday to win their third straight and extend their season-long point streak to eight games (7-0-1).
Kaprizov, who scored a natural hat-trick in a 3-2 overtime win over the Blue Jackets last Sunday, now has eight goals and one assist in his last seven outings.
"Would we like to score more goals? Would we like someone else to score besides Kirill? Sure. But we're still not pressing so much that we're giving up odd-man rushes and opportunities the other way," said Minnesota Head Coach (and former Flame) Dean Evason. "Our patience was real good tonight."
Kaprizov opened the scoring only 44 seconds into the contest, before Brock Boeser replied for the Canucks late in the opening frame. Kaprizov then scored the eventual game-winner - his team-leading 39th of the year - early in the middle stanza.
"He's a superstar in this league for a reason," said Ryan Reaves, who had a secondary assist on Kaprizov's game-winner. "Obviously, there are games where he's the only guy scoring, so he's a very elite player."
Marc-Andre Fleury made 21 saves for the Wild, who outshot the Canucks 36-22.
"Our goaltenders have held us in crucial times," said Evason, whose team seems to gaining confidence in one-goal games. "When there's an opportunity for them, they make a big save to keep us where we're at and how we're playing. If they don't, it would be easy for us to maybe get frustrated or try to open up."
DONE DEALS:
The Flames completed a pair of deals prior NHL trade deadline yesterday. First, they acquired forward Dryden Hunt from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Radim Zohorna. Then, with about a half-hour to spare, they sent Connor Mackey and Brett Ritchie to the Arizona Coyotes for defenceman Troy Stecher and winger Nick Ritchie. And yes, for those curious - this marked the first time in NHL history that two brothers have ever been traded for one another.
The Wild made a splash as well, acquiring defenceman John Klingberg from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Andrej Sustr, the rights to Nikita Nesterenko and a fourth-round selection in 2025 NHL Draft. Additionally, Minnesota traded for centre Oskar Sundqvist from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for a fourth-round draft choice. The Wild then dealt forward Jordan Greenway to the Buffalo Sabres for a pair of picks.
NUMBERS GAME
Troy Stecher will carry his No. 51 from Arizona to Calgary, becoming just the fourth Flame in franchise history to don those digits. The most recent skater to wear it was Kenny Agostino from 2014 to 2016. Dave Gagner (1997), Rick Mrozik (2003) and Roman Horak (2012-2013) have also worn the number. ... Nick Ritchie will become the first Flame to wear No. 27 since Josh Leivo in 2021, and is the 21st No. 27 in franchise history.
DID YOU KNOW?
Stecher assisted Andrew Mangiapane's overtime-winning goal in the quarterfinals of the 2021 World Championship to help Canada beat Russia 2-1. Canada would go on to win gold.
Stick tap to Flames Public Relations Coordinator Jordan Bay for compiling these notes.
Follow him and the Flames PR team @FlamesPR on Twitter for more.
Flames - Blake Coleman
Coleman lamented the "missed opportunities" he had in Thursday's loss, but that hardly seems fair considering how good he was. He dragged his team into the fight and played the type of inspired hockey you'd expect from a champion in this fight-or-flight scenario.
The 31-year-old finished with a team-leading four shots, five chances, one rush attempt and one rebound (showing some incredible hand-eye as he batted the puck out of midair - with authority - but was unable to beat Leafs 'tender Joseph Woll).
Wild - Kirill Kaprizov
Who else?
In addition to the two goals the other night, Kaprizov had a game-high nine (!) shots on goal.
That lofty total isn't terribly out of character, either. The sniper has 23 shots in his last three games, combined, and is 10th in the NHL this year with 242, for an average of 3.9 per game.
Kaprizov enters the night with 39 goals and 73 points - 15 clear of second-place Mats Zuccarello in Minnesota team scoring.
Tonight, the Flames will host their first-annual Indigenous Celebration Game. This celebration of indigenous culture and tradition is a recognition of the peoples of the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.
