'See Where We're Really At'

DALLAS – Mentally, it’s easier to flush than you might think.

Games such as the one on Wednesday ‘happen’ over the course of an 82-game season. You don’t want them to – and, naturally, you do everything possible to keep those to a minimum – but some nights, you just don’t have it.

“It obviously wasn’t our best game. At all,” Rasmus Andersson said of a 4-2 loss to the Predators. “We didn't have the energy we needed and weren't as ready to play as we needed to be, for whatever reason. So, yeah, those games are going to happen. We can’t change it now. But we can focus on is the next one.

“We’ve been playing some really good hockey of late and with a really good team like this on the other side tonight, it’s a game that should get everyone feeling excited about the opportunity we have.”

That’s the thing.

The Flames have been playing better – to the tune of a 5-1-2 stretch in their previous eight before landing in the Music City.

Everything that went wrong that night was contradictory to the recent steps they’ve taken.

They were “slow, “sloppy” and with Chris Tanev pointing to a “gap” between the forwards and defence, the Flames allowed more scoring chances against (“a million,” according to the rugged blueliner) than they’re used to.

There was a time earlier in the campaign when a game like that could potentially cast doubt in the process.

But not anymore.

The Flames are cultivating an identity that Head Coach Ryan Huska can see tangibly, especially in times of adversity.

“It’s getting there,” he explained. “And the reason I say it's getting there is because the players recognize a little bit now if they're not doing it the right way. They can see it. And they hold each other to a standard now. That's most definitely a positive.

“Coaches are often emotional after games when you don't get the result. But we did some things well in that (Nashville) game. The first period, I thought we did a lot of good things well. I just felt that as the game went on, we got away from it a little bit in terms of how we wanted to play.

“Yesterday was a great day for us. We had a chance to spend (the day) with our entire group at the Coleman family's place. It was a real good afternoon for us. So, now, it's shifting gears and getting ourselves for a good game tonight."

On the other side waits a 12-4-2 Stars team picked by many to win a Stanley Cup this year.

So, what needs to be better?

Well, tempo, for one.

The Flames are at their best when they play with speed and are connected as five through the neutral zone. Too often against the Preds they either turned the puck over with spotty passes and ‘hope’ plays through sticks, or they hit a roadblock at the offensive blueline and were forced to pitch it deep, without the required support on the forecheck.

“It starts with the defencemen,” Andersson said. “Obviously, the forwards have to be in position and make themselves available, but we have to move it up quick and break the puck out as a unit. Then, we have to get in on the forecheck. It's that 'pressure' game that we want to be known for. We have to play hard on teams in the o-zone and don't give any teams time to settle into their systems.

“Just get after it.

“Start simple and work your way into the game. And it all starts with a little hard work.”

It will have to be a theme for this group, who has quite the stretch in front of them, beginning tonight. Between now and Christmas, the Flames will play 15 games – and at least 13 of those, possibly more, are widely considered playoff teams.

Among those, another handful – including the Stars – are legitimate Cup contenders.

It's time to see what they're made of.

“The next level is making sure they can raise their level even more,” said Head Coach Ryan Huska. “The stretch of games that we're starting here tonight, it's going to be awesome to see where we're really at.

“It's going to say a lot about our team,” echoed Andersson.

“I know we have what it takes.”