FOCUS FORWARD

The goal hasn't changed.
Five months on, and with a 'comfy,' four-point cushion on first place in the standings, the Flames aren't taking anything for granted.
"Every team's goal is to make the playoffs and we haven't done that and aren't even close yet," said Matthew Tkachuk, downplaying the team's chase for the division crown with 28 games left to play. "We want to ultimately get in, but we need to keep playing good hockey, keep playing well, and play well down the stretch because we have a lot of games and can't afford to take our foot off the gas at all.
"We did that earlier in January and December and we saw what happened to us, so we can't let that happen."

Nor has it, so far.
The Flames are 13-1-1 in their last 15 games entering tonight's Battle of Alberta at the Scotiabank Saddledome, and have a busy stretch of five games in seven nights ahead of them this week.
The Oilers are up first, followed by Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning, Dylan Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings, and capping the week off with a rematch against the juggernaut Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena.
The Flames, though, are keeping their focus where it belongs - on a critical test tonight, with two of the top players in the world strolling into Stampede Park.
It's all part of the process that will hopefully lead to a long run in the spring, regardless of how the standings shake out.
"It's not like a first seed is going on to win the Stanley Cup all the time, or very frequently, even," said Blake Coleman, who knows a thing or two about that, having won back-to-back Cups as a member of the Bolts. "The biggest thing is to get into the playoffs. That's the No.-1 objective for any team going into a season and it's no different for us.
"I don't think we want to be sitting there in the last week of the season trying to play our way in. I think we want to be cemented in by that point, and that means we've got to continue winning games right now.
"If we win the division, great. But our goal isn't to win the division - it's to bring a Cup to Calgary."

There was a time, not long ago, when the Flames and Oilers were neck-and-neck in the standings.
The Oilers, who got off a 16-5-0 start, are 14-17-4 since Dec. 3, leading to the dismissal of former Head Coach Dave Tippett.
The Flames, meanwhile, are on some kind of a heater and have multiple games in hand on every team in the Pacific - including two on the Oil, who sit nine points back, and two out of a playoff spot.
Now, with the 'Battle' set to reignite at the Scotiabank Saddledome, the homeside is looking to put some daylight between them and a team scrapping to stay in the race.
"We play them four times this year and they've taken care of the first two in their building," Tkachuk said. "Obviously, that doesn't sit well with us at all, so we want to take these next two in our building.
"But we can't do that unless we get this first one.
"That's the mindset right now."