Some like to point to a late-January loss in Montreal where disheartened coach Glen Gulutzan called the effort “pathetic,” urging the lads to “man-up.”
It helped end a four-game losing streak, prompting the Calgary Flames current 12-2-1 run.
Others circle a gutsy comeback in Nashville almost a month later as the turning point, winning their first of seven in a row despite giving up a 4-1 lead and needing overtime to complete the comeback victory.
Somewhere between the two the Calgary Flames went from being the league’s most bipolar bunch to a model of consistency.
From frighteningly fragile to remarkably resilient.
Waltzing their way up from a wild card bubble team to a serious threat to displace Edmonton for second in the Pacific, the Flames have something few thought possible when it started the season 5-10-1:
Swagger.
“You go through ups and downs through the season personally and as a team, but this is a perfect time to be feeling good,” said Johnny Gaudreau, who has rebounded from a poor start of late.
“We’re just playing simple right now. We learned to play when we’re down a goal and we’re getting better and better at it. It’s something we needed to get better at in the middle of the season and thankfully we did.”
Early in the season, when the team was struggling with Gulutzan’s new system, allowing the first goal was killer.
The team often panicked, deviating from their system and the floodgates opened. Brian Elliott was hung out to dry with regularity.
But with increasing comfort in the coach’s style of play, better goaltending and increasing confidence, the Flames now lead the league with 17 wins after allowing the first goal.
During their current run the team has allowed the opposition to score first in seven of the past nine games, while posting an 8-0-1 record.
Elliott’s resurgence has played a key role in the team’s turnaround, posting a 10-1-1 record of late. Even when he allows an early goal, he’s battling back admirably, allowing two or fewer goals in nine of those starts.
Increased defensive depth has played a role too as the acquisitions of Michael Stone and Matt Bartkowski before the trade deadline shored up some holes.
Gaudreau’s line, with Sean Monahan and Micheal Ferland, has caught fire too, giving Mikael Backlund’s top trio newfound offensive support.
It has all added up to an increased belief this team can find a way to finish second or third in the Pacific, setting up a potential Battle of Alberta, the likes of which the province hasn’t seen in 26 years.
“It was almost like we changed the way we played when we were down a goal and opened our game up and that was leading to turnovers,” explained Dougie Hamilton, who is on his third consecutive career year with 10 goals and at least 41 points.
“When we’re sticking with our game and the way the coach tells us, it’s a successful way to play.”
During one of the team’s only missteps the last month Gaudreau pressed too hard with the Flames down 1-0, coughed up the puck resulting in another goal as part of a 5-0 loss to Arizona. He was demoted to the fourth line the rest of the night, further emphasizing the importance of not deviating from the plan.
Message received.
The most powerful message sent during the team’s turnaround came in Nashville Feb. 21 when the Flames watched a 4-1 lead disappear when the host Preds scored four times in eight minutes to end the second period.
In a four-point game with their closest conference rival at the time, turning a sure win into a loss might have been devastating for the previously fragile group.
“Definitely – that would have been bad,” said Michael Frolik, whose linemate, Backlund, tied the game midway through the third before Mark Giordano won it in overtime.
“In the room after the second we said we are down just one goal and we need to forget what happened. Being down one goal going into the third on the road is not that bad. It was a big goal by Backs and we turned the game around – it was a big win and it built a lot of confidence. From that point we kind of kept going.”
Gulutzan, who many fans wanted fired a month into his new gig, is at a rare point where he’s convinced his team understands how it has to play to be successful.
“They’re all bought in now and the belief has come,” said Gulutzan, whose team also sports a league-best 26-0-1 record when leading after two periods.
“They know what their expectations and roles are, and the system they’re playing, and that’s a big part of it. No question, that game in Nashville was huge. To get two points out of that after giving up the lead was big for us – and it kick-started our roll.”
A roll that has shown no signs of slowing down.
“Everyone is contributing and feeling good – when you have everyone rolling it’s tough to stop that,” said Hamilton, whose club faces a streaking Montreal squad Thursday.
“Hopefully this little break between games doesn’t hurt us.”
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