How Sustainable is the Calgary Flames Current Hot Streak?

It’s been a tale of two seasons for the Calgary Flames and their following as we approach the Christmas break. 

Starting out with a miserable 4-12-2 record and firmly holding last place through their first 16 games, it appeared that the team had finally reached the rock bottom season that so many fans were clamouring for. 

Since then? Things have been pretty good.  

11-5-2. Fourth best in the NHL in terms of locking down points with a .667 points percentage. 

The only teams with a better points percentage over that time are Colorado (.889), Minnesota (.816), and Dallas (.800).

You could even snip that sample to a nice .700 points percentage (10-4-1) if you go from Nov. 19 to today. For all intents and purposes, it appears that head coach Ryan Huska has the group back on track. If the team holds a .667 points percentage for the rest for the remaining 46 games, they finish with 95 points. Likely enough to punch a ticket to the playoffs given how soft the playoff bubble is this season in the Western Conference. 

In fact, 96 points would blow a few Western Wildcard teams out of the water. 

Wild West 

There is no denying that this year is an outlier. A few fun facts: 

-Only four teams in the Western Conference have won more games than they’ve lost. Including overtime. 

-The San Jose Sharks and Utah Mammoth are both duking it out for the final Western Conference wildcard spot. 

Both teams are on pace for 84 points. 

-If Calgary can manage 51 points in their final 46 games? They hit 85 points and beat those playoff projections. That is a very plausible .554 points percentage. 

Back to Reality 

The Flames are closer to the bottom of the standings, two points, than they are to a Wildcard spot; five points. 

More importantly, one recurring trend in their games dictates so much of the results in their last 18 games. 

Other teams aren’t showing up. Especially the good teams. 

Let’s take another look at the last 18 games. 

Courtesy of ESPN. 

Of those 11 games, how many of these were absolute stinkers from the opposition? 

Vegas was horrible on Saturday. We can start there. You could count on one hand how many times the Golden Knights won a 50:50 puck race. They were playing a lazy trap when they were down 5-1. We haven’t seen that team play like that since they spiralled out of the playoffs during the 2022 stretch drive. 

Seattle put up a decent effort. So did LA.  

Buffalo, Utah and Minnesota before that? Horrible.  

Florida? Certainly not even close to their A-game. 

Vancouver: Terrible puck pressure. Dallas: Almost won it on fumes. Buffalo: Dreadful defending.  

San Jose? The worst effort from a visiting team in the Saddledome in decades. Decades. 

This isn’t meant to steal any shine from the players. They’re doing their job in mopping up poor performances. You couldn’t ask for anything more from them. 

But it does mean that the league is going to smarten up pretty soon. Opposing coaches are going to have the book on Calgary and it’s more or less just a matter of showing up and playing more than your C-game. 

Oh, the benefits of sitting in the basement of the standings. Other teams think they can beat a veteran-laden group like the Flames on autopilot. 

With a pre/post Christmas Battle of Alberta home-and-home coming up. We’ll see how the team looks against an Oilers group that isn’t known for taking nights off against the Flames. 

KEEP READING:  

Pacific Division: A Holiday Gift for Each Team

Into the Crevasse – Brzustewicz – Scheduling Misplay of the Year

Bob Wilkie’s “Sideways” Debuts Powerful Journey

Who Are The NHL’s Fastest And Slowest Teams?

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