A win on Tuesday night would have put the Calgary Flames in the driver’s seat for the wild card race in the Western Conference. Having won four straight and facing off against one of the league’s worst teams in the Chicago Blackhawks, picking up two points felt like a strong possibility. That wasn’t the case, however, as they once again found themselves trailing early and were unable to come back this time around, falling by a 4-3 final.
With the loss, the Flames remain two points shy of the final wild card position in the West, and have just four games left on their schedule. Safe to say, there is no room for error moving forward. While every game from here on out is of utmost importance, the one they have coming in less than 24 hours will be the biggest of the bunch.
Flames Need Two Points
Tonight at the Canada Life Centre, the Flames will face off against the Winnipeg Jets in a massive game as far as playoff implications are concerned. The Jets happen to be the team occupying that final wild card spot at the moment. They not only hold a two-point lead over the Flames, but also have a game in hand and seven more wins, meaning that they would be the team advancing to the postseason should they be tied in points at the end of the season.
With a win in regulation, the Jets would all but punch their ticket for the playoffs, as the Flames would need a near miracle to find their way in. If the Flames were to win, however, the two would be tied in points, keeping what has been an extremely intense race alive.
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The Flames have faced off twice against the Jets this season, and have been very evenly matched. Not only have they both picked up a win against one another, but they have scored an identical six goals while allowing four against in their two head-to-head matchups. The Flames picked up a win in the first game back on Nov. 12 at the Saddledome, while the Jets took a Jan. 3 tilt at the Canada Life Centre.
Sutter Has Decision to Make In Net
With how close those games were, paired with how close the current race is between the two, we should fully expect a back-and-forth game on Wednesday night. Going in the Jets’ favor, however, is that they will be better rested than the Flames. While all of Darryl Sutter’s players will likely be feeling the effects that come with playing the second half of a back-to-back, goaltending could prove to be their biggest issue.
After morning skate on Tuesday, Sutter surprised many when he announced Markstrom as his starting goalie versus the Blackhawks. While the 33-year-old has been his workhorse all season long, most expected that Sutter would elect to keep him fresh for Wednesday against the Jets and start Dan Vladar. Given that Markstrom already appeared tired in his most recent start against the Anaheim Ducks, the choice seemed to be a pretty obvious one to most.
Whatever his logic was, Sutter went against public consensus and gave Markstrom the start. It backfired, as he once again looked tired, and ended the night having stopped just 19 of the 23 shots thrown his way. What makes this such an issue is that now the decision comes down to either starting your backup in Vladar in the most important game of the season, or going back to an already fatigued Markstrom in less than 24 hours.
Perhaps the result versus the Blackhawks would have been the same had Vladar started, but at least the Flames No. 1 would have been better rested to face the Jets. When asked postgame if it still made sense to go with Markstrom tonight, Sutter refused to reveal his plan.
“I never said I was (going with Markstrom),” Sutter said. “We’ll see. Haven’t even gotten to that point.”
Season On the Line
Much has been made about the Flames having a team-friendly schedule down the stretch, and the same is true for their final three games after tonight’s outing versus the Jets. If they win, they have a great opportunity to take advantage of that and make their way into the playoffs. If they lose, however, it will not only close the door on their postseason hopes but result in plenty of questions heading into the summer.
