The Calgary Flames played arguably their best game of the season in Tuesday’s 4-1 victory over Boston. They notched their second consecutive triumph after beating the Chicago Blackhawks at home before the All-Star Break. Nobody writes home about a two-game winning streak, especially after seeing the Flames’ neighbours to the north reel off 16 straight before falling 3-1 to the Golden Knights in Vegas on Tuesday.
While a 16-game winning streak for the Flames is about as likely as affording a Super Bowl ticket, they must find a way to go on a few decent runs if they want to secure a playoff berth. Calgary has endured all sorts of issues putting a winning streak together. Things were looking up in early January, with their first four-game winning streak of the season.
But four successive defeats immediately offset that uplifting streak. Sound familiar? The Flames haven’t won at least five in a row since the 2021-22 campaign, when they won the Pacific Division. Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau led that team to several impressive winning streaks, including a 10-game run that tied the franchise record.
Flames’ Best and Worst Streaks of the 2023-24 Season
Playoff teams have the ability to get hot and swat aside all comers, at least for a week or two. The Flames can win their third straight in New Jersey on Thursday. While still comparatively insignificant, a victory against the Devils would inject more confidence into a team that direly needs it. It would represent a step in the right direction.
Aside from winning four in a row once, the Flames have two three-game winning streaks. Two-game winning streaks are so commonplace for decent NHL teams that it’s not worth mentioning. Contrastingly, the Flames’ losing streaks have more longevity and frequency. While almost nothing is as grotesque as Chicago’s 20 straight road losses, the Flames suffered a disheartening, soul-crushing six-game skid at the start of the season (from ‘Blackhawks’ 20-game road losing streak is unprecedented in recent NHL history,’ Chicago Sun Times, Jan. 30, 2024). They’ve also lost four in a row twice.
2022-23 Was a Lot Like the Current Campaign
Like the start of this season, the Flames stumbled out of the blocks in 2022-23. In head coach Darryl Sutter’s swan-song season, the Flames tasted defeat seven straight times in the early goings. Sutter’s underperforming team also endured a three-game losing streak and two five-game skids.
Within a stone’s throw of a playoff spot, Sutter’s men only needed to tack on a few more wins at the end of a hot run to get into the dance. Unfortunately, the Flames waited until only nine games left to go on a four-game winning streak. Far too little, way too late. Aside from that late run, the Flames won three contests in a row twice.
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If the Flames can consistently play like they did against the Boston Bruins on Feb. 6, the probability of an extended triumphant streak is high. The key word is consistency, which the Flames have lacked for most of the season. But maybe, just maybe, the chemistry will shift positively with the arrival of Andrei Kuzmenko, who enjoyed a dream start to his Calgary tenure.
With the Flames three positions and points out of the second wild-card spot, Ryan Huska’s men must put together a few extended winning streaks while avoiding long losing skids. Sounds good in theory, but does Calgary, with its injection of youth, Jacob Markstrom’s current elite play, and the addition of Kuzmenko, have what it takes to execute in practicality? The picture will become more apparent after tonight’s outing in New Jersey against the Devils.