'We Can't Let It Slip'

Initially, it was an opportunity.

The prospect of a half-dozen ‘Dome games offered the perfect backdrop for a team looking to go on a run.

Instead – and after accumulating more air miles than any other team on the circuit – the Flames now find themselves in salvage mode.

“We come in today really upset about the way we let the one go yesterday and losing three (straight) at home,” said captain Mikael Backlund, whose team let a 3-1 lead slip away before surrendering the fourth and deciding goal with only 48 seconds left in regulation. “We want to finish on a really good note these next two games and go into the break with a really good feeling.

“All year, we've been around .500 and then we play really good hockey and climb a few games over – and now we're back to .500 again.

“These are two big games for us.”

Some might even characterize them as the ‘must-win’ variety.

Incoming are the struggling Blue Jackets, who’ve lost two straight and are dead-last in the East with 37 points – 10 fewer than the Flames – before the Connor Bedard-less Blackhawks arrive in the final game before the bye week and all-star festivities.

With four points (as many teams) between them and the final wild-card spot, the Flames know the margin for error is razor-thin is now.

They need wins.

And they need them now.

“I thought up until this home stretch, we played really well and were going in the right direction,” Backlund said. “And (then) we fell off.

“It's time to get back to it again. We can't let it slip and fall even deeper, so it's on us players to come in tomorrow and be ready to go and play the way we know we can and the way we have played before.”

Prior to this three-game skid, the Flames were one of the hottest teams in the NHL, reeling off wins over the Senators, Coyotes (x2) and defending Cup champion Golden Knights, while out-scoring them by a combined margin of 18-8.

If you broaden the sample even further, the Flames held down the eighth spot on the league charts with a 9-4-0 record – for a .692 point percentage – between Dec. 16 and their overtime win over the Desert Dogs to begin this lengthy homestand last Tuesday.

So, what changed?

Especially, now, with such a critical stretch of games with plenty of travel behind them?

“When you play for someone, there's a lot more at stake and I think you're a lot more accountable for your actions; how you approach each and every situation. So, that's the big difference, for sure,” said Head Coach Ryan Huska. “When you look at our team over the last three games, I think we've been very loose and that's not a great way to play for a teammate.”

“We addressed that this morning,” added Backlund. “We've got to play more for each other than with each other. That's something Husk brought in from Day 1 of camp, the mentality this team has got to have. It's a big difference. When you leave your shift behind, what do you want to leave? You don't want to leave your teammate or goalie hanging.

“We've got to be more responsible in the way we play and how we handle situations.”

While the players – notably, Nazem Kadri – admit “it sucks” to have their game slip during this pivotal homestand, they’re intent on righting the ship in these final two games to not only help climb back in the race, but to reset the standard for when they return to game action on Feb. 6 in Boston.

“The positive is, we're in every single one,” Kadri said, reflecting on losses to the Leafs, Oilers and Blues. “Some undeniable, unlucky bounces contributed to that – which is obviously no excuse – but that obviously results in momentum of the game and when you see something like that happen, it's natural for it to take the wind out of your sails.

“We've got to do a better job of setting ourselves up before that happens and hopefully give ourselves a bit more of a leash.”

And in the process, make the old barn a hostile environment for the visitors.

“We think we have the greatest fans in the league,” Huska said. “They want to come and watch the team play hard - which, I think for most nights, they do - they want to see a team that's passionate and playing hard as a team, because that's really what this city is all about.

“So, it's important that we come here and put out that type of effort every time when we step on the ice.”