Band Of Brothers
If Tuesday's game against Vancouver taught us anything, it's that this Flames group is more than willing to stand up for one another when the irons get tossed in the proverbial fire.
Blake Coleman's crew had Wednesday to digest an emotionally-charged win.
And while the angst, and the passion from the 3-1 triumph might be hard to replicate, Coleman figures there's a big reason - Calgary's place in the Western Conference standings - for he and his teammates to keep up the energy they used to their advantage two nights ago.
"It’s one of those wins that can go either way," he admitted Thursday. "A team can have a lull after a game like that, where the emotions are really high and you get the result you’re looking for. Or, you can use it as a stepping stone, understanding that we’ve gotta play playoff-style hockey all the way through, the rest of the way here.
"It was a fun win, the building was rockin’. You look at who we’re playing, and where we are in the standings, you could definitely argue this game’s equally important."
The Flames woke up this morning in the second and final wild card berth in the Western Conference, five points up on the Utah club they'll see tonight.
But scratching and clawing their way to points is nothing new for Coleman and Co., they've been doing it since the puck dropped on the regular season Oct. 9.
Curiously enough, those two wins against the Canucks this season might well turn out to be two of the moments that galvanize this Flames group - that opening-night OT win was one, the New Year's Eve bash the other.
All part of building a brotherhood, and having each others' backs in the face of adversity.
"It’s a great group of guys, everybody in here is very close and genuinely cares about each other off the ice," Coleman said. "With teams like that, you generally seem to see it carry over to the ice.
"And that’s what’s been a big part of our success this year."
