The Calgary Flames were singing the blues after back-to-back losses in St. Louis. Unfortunately, things aren’t going to get any easier with a stop in Winnipeg on Saturday.
Not only are the Flames visiting the Jets at a time when the weather is going to be peak Winnipeg with a blizzard in the forecast, their opponent has been among the best in the league this year.
The schedule gets interesting from there, too. The Flames come back to Calgary with four full days without games before a single game at home against the Buffalo Sabres before back-to-back nights in Minnesota against the Wild, and a return to the hostile home of the Jets.
Top that all off with a visit from Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals when they get back to the Saddledome and you’ve got yourself a dangerous stretch of the season that could see them slip significantly in the playoff race if they’re not at their best.
Goaltender Dustin Wolf has been a major reason the Calgary Flames have continued to surprise this season despite averaging just 2.59 goals per game this season — the fifth worst in the NHL so far.
In their last three losses, they’ve totaled just three goals — one in each of their back-to-back decisions against the Blues.
“The last few games, we’ve been kinda having trouble scoring,” Flames defenseman MacKenzie Weegar said on Thursday.
“Obviously, you want guys to feel good and get pucks in the back of the net and that’s just another area that we have to improve on, bearing down on chances, creating more havoc around the net, maybe more eyes in front of the goaltenders.”
Scoring is definitely one part of it. Wolf had an average night and the Flames paid for it on Thursday. They’ll need to give both goalies more support on the scoreboard to have any chance at success against their upcoming opponents.
