The Calgary Flames’ season was essentially on the line heading into Wednesday night’s game versus the Winnipeg Jets, and they were able to pull through with a 3-1 win. This was a fantastic effort overall from the Flames, who had plenty of reason to pack it in after finding themselves down 1-0 early in the second half of a back-to-back. Instead, they dug deep and were able to walk away with two crucial points to help keep their playoff hopes alive.
With the victory, the Flames have now won five of their last six and have scored 16 times in their last four. With their final three games of the season coming against non-playoff teams, they may very well still be able to get into the dance if they put forth the effort they did in this one versus the Jets. With that said, here are the three main takeaways from Wednesday’s outing.
Markstrom Bounces Back
Many were surprised by Darryl Sutter’s decision to give Jacob Markstrom the start on Tuesday night versus the Chicago Blackhawks, as most figured he would want his workhorse well-rested for the Jets. The decision to instead play him against the Blackhawks seemed to backfire, as the Swedish netminder allowed four goals on 23 shots and showed serious signs of fatigue.
That fatigue had some questioning whether or not Dan Vladar would get the call on Wednesday night, but once again Markstrom was given the starter’s crease. Any fatigue that he appeared to have had as of late was a non-issue, as he was spectacular all night long in this one, making a number of ten-bell saves to secure the win for his team. By the time the horn sounded, he had kicked aside 34 of 35 shots for a .971 save percentage (SV%).
Big Performance From Zadorov
If you weren’t familiar with Nikita Zadorov’s name before Wednesday night, you may have mistaken him for an offensive defenseman. The 27-year-old was all over the ice against the Jets, helping his team create plenty of offensive opportunities.
Related: Why the Flames Should (And Should Not) Retain Darryl Sutter
By the time the game came to an end, Zadorov found himself with a goal and an assist, which was a very impressive effort given that he only had 18 points on the season. Making it even more impressive was that he had another goal in the second period that ended up getting called back due to goaltender interference. While more offensive outputs like this shouldn’t be expected for the remainder of the season, this game serves as a reminder that he does have more skill to his game than he is given credit for.
Playoffs Still In Reach
With this win, the Flames are once again tied with the Jets in points at 89. The Jets do have a game in hand while also holding the tiebreaker due to having more wins, but this race remains alive and well. Had the Flames lost this one, they would have found themselves four points back with just three games remaining, which would have pretty well killed their hopes for a playoff berth.
While it remains to be seen how the next week will play out for this Flames team, they deserve credit for finding a way to gut this one out after a frustrating result less than 24 hours prior. As mentioned, they had every reason to pack it in and call it a season, but found a way to persevere and give their fans some hope.
Looking Ahead for the Flames
After somewhat of a hectic schedule as of late, the Flames will now have the next two nights off before taking on the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena Saturday night in what is their final game of the week. They will then return home to take on the Nashville Predators on Monday before their regular season finale versus the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday. If they are able to pick up wins in all three, they may very well find themselves playoff bound.
