1. Bear Down
The Flames’ 4-1 win in Boston 16 days ago was touted as one of the team’s most complete efforts of the season.
Tonight, Calgary gets a chance to replicate that performance on Scotiabank Saddledome ice, with two more valuable points available as the locals look to keep within striking distance of a playoff position in a Western Conference that gets curiouser and curiouser (sorry, Alice) by the day. Get tickets
And thanks in part to Monday's 6-3 win over the Jets, the Flames are staying in the playoff conversation; sitting in the thick of a log-jam of teams chasing the St. Louis Blues for the second wild card berth.
Calgary enters Thursday’s action three points back of those Blues.
And while the prospect of inching up the standings is undoubtedly top of mind, defenceman Rasmus Andersson echoed a theme we’ve heard for weeks from Flames players and coaches: a desire to keep a focus on what’s directly in front of them, rather than looking down the road.
“We try to stay in the present,” Andersson said. “We know what we have to do as a group, or as individuals around here to have success; we’ve just got to keep going (Thursday).
“We’re playing a really good team, a team that doesn’t give up much, good all over the ice; it’s going to be a good game, and we’ll take it from there.”
Head coach Ryan Huska touched on that ‘one game at a time’ mentality Wednesday, too, adding it’s a message his staff has been relaying to the group all season long.
“It’s nothing new for them,” the Flames bench boss said. “You can’t look back, you can’t look forward, so the only thing that makes sense to do is focus on what’s in front of you, and that’s Boston.”
One thing that’s remained constant this season: the Flames’ ability to play up to the level of their opposition.
A win tonight would be Calgary’s 11th against teams sitting first, second or third in their respective divisions, and would add a nice follow-on to Monday’s 6-3 triumph over Winnipeg that saw the Flames shoo away adversity as a picnicker would a wasp on a warm summer day.
Andersson and the rest of the Flames’ veteran core is sure to be leaned on against the Bruins Thursday night, but the contributions - or possible contributions - from the team’s younger players shouldn’t be overlooked.
Connor Zary, for example, had the game-winner in the first meeting between Calgary and Boston this season, a gorgeous net drive made possible by a Nazem Kadri entry pass that sprung him free on the left wing.
Zary’s going through an NHL stretch drive for the first time in his young career, and he’s learning on the fly that the level of competition has ratcheted up a bit since his team returned from the All-Star break earlier this month.
“You can kind of tell things are starting to tighten up a little bit,” he said. “A (few) less mistakes, everyone’s trying to be on their game every time, you’re going to get everyone’s best game and everyone’s kind of looking for points.
“We’re right there in that fight.”
