'A Lot Of Belief'

Finding My Way never charted in Canada or the United States, but Rush found themselves a hit with the first single off their 1973 self-titled record.

The Flames have borrowed from Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson’s writing over the past calendar month, finding their way from the depths of the Western Conference thanks to a no-quit attitude that’s brought about a healthy bounty of late-game rallies.

Thanks to persistence, and a growing sense of self-belief, Calgary has authored four third-period comebacks to this point in the season - more than during the entire 2022-23 campaign - including a dramatic 2-1 overtime triumph their last time out against Vegas Monday evening.

The locals now hold a 7-4-2 record this month, with a November finale on tap Thursday at Scotiabank Saddledome against the Dallas Stars. Get tickets

After singing some sad songs, and crying some bad tears, forward Blake Coleman and his teammates are ready to continue their climb.

“I think there’s a lot of belief in our group; some nights, where maybe the energy’s not there in the first period, early in the season, that would kind of linger into the rest of the game and I think guys have found ways to get engaged in the game,” Coleman said Wednesday after an up-tempo Flames practice. “Whether it’s throwing some hits, getting a block, whatever it is, just something simple that gets guys into the game, and I think it’s started to translate into some confidence in our ability to come back.

“I think we all feel good about where our game is, and we all have that belief that we can score goals, especially at 5-on-5 right now, we’re producing a lot of offence. It’s been good, I think it’s just a quiet confidence that’s grown throughout the year.”

The numbers don’t lie: the Flames have outscored their opponents 28-21 in third periods and overtimes so far in 2023-24, and the numbers are even more pronounced on home ice.

Calgary owns a 12-4 scoring advantage in third and overtime periods at the ‘Dome this season, outshooting their opponents 107-69 in the process through eight home fixtures.

But according to Coleman, a real selling feature of his team’s never-say-die attitude is that every night, a new volunteer is willing to play hero.

“The production and the comebacks have come from different guys every night,” Coleman offered (in fact, the Flames’ nine game-winning goals have been scored by eight different players).

“When you have a lot of guys that believe they can make a difference in a game, or in a third period, it goes a long way. Not a lot of teams can roll all their players and expect production out of each line.”

Head Coach Ryan Huska agrees, calling his team’s sticktoitiveness a by-product of their willingness to stick to the system.

“They believe they’re always in games, that’s one thing,” he said Wednesday morning. “You want to play with the lead moreso, I think we’d like to flip that script a little bit and hold on to leads, but I think they do have a belief in how we’re trying to play the game a little bit now.

“They’re never out of it, and I think they realize that so they keep pushing, and that’s important because every game’s not going to go the way you want it to go for a full 60 minutes, so if you can stick with it, knowing that if we do things the right way and we stay competitive and work, you’re going to get a chance to win, they’re going to keep doing that.”

The next challenge for Coleman and Co. comes Thursday against his hometown team, the Dallas Stars.

The Texan scored his first-ever goal at American Airlines Center last Friday - a game-tying goal, no less - and points to a setback against the Stars Nov. 1 as the start of his team’s recent run.

Calgary lost the game, 4-3, but outshot the Stars 22-5 in the third period, something Coleman figures helped start a trend.

“I think that was the first game where we really felt good about the way we played,” he said. “We came up short, but in this league, you tend to look at the way you’re playing versus the outcome; some games, a goalie can steal it, or you don’t have the puck luck, but as long as you’re playing the right way, you’re going to get the result more times than not.

“I think that was the first time we felt every guy was starting to contribute and get the ball rolling a little bit, had a little injection of youth that game which helped our team, but other guys have picked it up since then; I think we have a really good quiet confidence in this room.”

As much as the four-goal third periods (the Flames have enjoyed two this month) and overtime winners draw the most attention - and the most applause - Calgary has done a decent job of locking things down in their own zone.

Over the past eight games, the Flames have surrendered only four third-period goals, something Coleman hopes continues as the calendar inches closer to December.

“Third periods and overtime are what make or break you in this league, he said.

“If we continue on with that success, it’ll be great for our team.”