'THE BOYS ARE READY'

Routines, typically, are not to be toyed with.
In hockey, they're sacred - and high-level athletes are the ultimate creatures of habit.
The players have diets and sleep patterns that are guided by science, their cruise to the rink is all mapped out to include their favourite, drive-thru coffee joints, and their particular, game-day rituals have been the same since childhood.
But it's time to get some good mojo going. Shake things up, you know?

"Shorter nap, maybe?" laughed Elias Lindholm. "I don't know. I think it's time for everyone to do something different.
"Once in a while you're going to have a couple of bad starts, but this has been going on for the whole season, pretty much. It's time for everyone to do - nothing too crazy - but something different."

The Flames are coming off a 5-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday, and while they have won four of six dating back to the Feb. 6 Battle of Alberta, the air feels a bit heavy around the Scotiabank Saddledome right now.
Head Coach Geoff Ward and the players didn't mince words after the disappointing result 48 hours ago, acknowledging their competitiveness and attention to detail have been mysteriously absent in the past couple of games.
It's a funk. And it's time to break out of it.
"You saw Vancouver the other night, they changed the way they dressed coming to the rink," Ward said. "You do different things, change up your routines in terms of times, get the guys together more in the locker-room - there's a variety of different things that you can do to change it up.
"It's almost like changing lines. You're just looking for a little bit of different energy - something different, mentally, that's going to get you sharper, a little more prepared, a little more emotionally attached to what you're doing.
"Guys are pretty fickle about their routines. For them, preparing this afternoon will be the same, but depending on their superstitions, guys may try different things to try to bust it. But we'll see. We're not going to change that much differently. We're going to change a little bit of the timing, a little bit, maybe, of the physical surroundings the guys are normally in around game time."

There's no better tonic than a visit from your bitter archrival to put the negative narrative to bed.
The Oilers are hot, too, winning four of their last five, with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl sitting 1-2 in league scoring, with the former on a 100-point pace.
But, hey, it's the Battle of Alberta. And a primetime matchup tends to bring out the best in these Flames.
"I think this will be a good game for us," Lindholm said. "Even though there's no crowd, you're still very pumped up for these games because there's a lot on the line. Now, it's tight in the standings and we're a couple points behind them, so we know these games are important.
"Everyone's really pumped up.
"Last game (against the Oilers - a 6-4 win) was a little bit quiet and, yeah, it's a little different without the crowd and the build-up from all the fans. But we expect it to be a pretty high pace out there and you've got to be ready for everything out there in these games."
While the Flames have had a penchant for coming back in games when trailing by one or even two goals late - a trend that dates back several years now - they have no interest in continuing that course.
The Flames have surrendered the first goal in 10 of their 16 games this year, including nine when they've been down and chasing the game in the first period.
Incredibly, the Flames are only 4-6 when their opponent draws first blood - but against an Oilers team that has more first-period tallies (24) than any team in the NHL, the locals can't afford another slow start.
"We want to be leading, for sure," said Mikael Backlund, who returned the lineup on Wednesday after a one-game respite due to an undisclosed injury. "But we know, as a group, we have a history of coming back in games - we've done it lots of times. That's a strength we have and it's a good feeling to have in the room, because it would be tough if it was the opposite, if you're down in games and don't have that confidence to come back.
"We do. But at the same time … it's a lot harder to chase games and it takes more energy out of you. So, even though we have the confidence to come back, we would rather play with the lead.
"We have a mindset to come out a lot harder (tonight) and dictate the game. Have that swagger, that confidence to come out, dictate the game and not sit and wait and see what happens.
"The boys are ready."