'ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN'

Ask anyone in that Flames locker-room if they've lost hope.
Not one would show even a morsel of self-doubt
That's the thing about 'belief.' You can't fake it.
You either do, or you don't.

And right now - with eight games left and six points to make up on the Montreal Canadiens - the Flames know what the stakes are, and how crucial games like tonight's are in cementing a path forward in the playoff race.
"Very real," a confidentMatthew Tkachuk said of the team's positive outlook following Thursday's morning skate. "Very, very, very real.
"We have some work to do and we need some help, but you have a chance and that's all you can ask for."
It's a tall task with very little runway to work with. But the fact is, the Canadiens haven't done anything to suggest they're a lock, despite their 89.4% of making the spring dance, according to SportsClubStats.com.
The injury bug as hit hard and they've struggled to maintain even a .500 record throughout the month of April, which - with a six-point cushion - would likely be enough.
But with a 6-10-1 record this month, nothing is certain.
That means if the Flames take care of their own business and even come close to running the table, the heat could be on in La belle province.
"The simple answer is for us to win and Montreal to lose," Tkachuk said. "But we don't play Montreal anymore, so we don't control much of that. We've got to take care of our games and sit and hope.
"For us to get in, we're going to have to (win) eight in a row here and get some help. That's all we can really do, is control what we can. We took care of Montreal with the nine games this year. It would have been nice to get the one against them last time, but we can't sit here and think about that.
"They're playing some good things, we're playing some good teams, and anything can happen."

Stranger things have.
Over the next week, we should get a better idea of how the playoff picture is coming together.
The Flames go up against the Oilers twice over the next three days, but then have only one game in their next eight. The Habs, meanwhile, will be busy, squeezing four games into the rotation next week, including three against the division-leading Maple Leafs.
Naturally, though, the Flames can't look too far ahead, despite winning five of their past eight games, and four of the five meetings with the Canadiens.
First, they have Connor McDavid to worry about.
The Edmonton captain has 15 points (5G, 10A) in his last five games and is now up to 84 on the year, with 100 squarely in his sights.
In order for the Flames - who have been stingy of late - to string a few wins together and start going on a run, they'll need to get past No. 97.
"I'd say that we're not giving up many goals against," Tkachuk said. "That's what's it's been like the past few weeks. But this is a whole different beast, I'd say, with this team tonight. They've had our number, especially here, and have put up a lot of goals. The best offensive and best player in the world is on their team here tonight. It seems like he has a chance to create anything on every shift.
"Doesn't matter what we have done to this point. This is a different beast tonight facing him.
"They're obviously in a way better position than we are right now, being in the playoffs and stuff, but a guy like, he wants to go out and score each and every shift he's out there, so we've got to be ready for him.
"We've put ourselves in this spot. We're here. But we can change it. We can try to change it and try to go on a run here.
"That's all you can do."
The Oilers are coming off a 3-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets last night in the Manitoba capital, while the Flames were already set up in downtown E-Town, awaiting their bitter archrivals.
So, for the Flames, rest can be a weapon.
But as we know - the Battle of Alberta tends to bring out the best in both sides, regardless of what the schedule says.
Tonight, with Calgary's playoff lives hanging in the balance, it should make for one of the best Battles of the season.
"We've caught (McDavid) on some occasions where we've played him pretty well and those times that we do, that's our best chance to win, when we shut him down," Tkachuk said.
"We've got to do our best as six people - five skaters and the goalie - especially being on the road, where it's not the same line playing against him.
"We need everybody here tonight."