Jokinen gets his first hat trick and continues to inspire
Way to go…. Ollie

In the 6-5 shoot out win against the Red Wings on Thursday, the Flames “comeback performance” from a 4-0 deficit was remarkable, particularly after the so-called “strange” penalties. By and large, last week had been less productive, but the team’s resilience cannot be undermined– it was unfortunate that they didn’t come out victorious on Saturday. Relative to the claims like “good teams never lose three in a row”, the Flames are not a mediocre team considering the great comebacks and the past victories against teams like the Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks, Detroit Red Wings etc. These demonstrate their potential to win against elite teams.

The Flames (40-23-6) have accumulated a total of 86 points and have a home record of 22-8-4. Disregarding the past week’s repercussions, they are still 1st in the Northwest division, 3rd in the western conference and 6th in the league. With approximately 13 games remaining in the regular season, it would be exhilarating to see them jump off to a good start on home ice in the upcoming two games.

Game 70: Flames host the Dallas Stars on March 18th TSN @ 7.00 pm

The Stars (33-280-8) had defeated the Flames on two occasions (Dec 2 and Feb 3), but rank 8th in the western conference and 18th in the league. Their road record encompasses 14 wins 15 losses and 4 ties with a total of 74 points. On a favorable note, their power play averages 15.79% while their penalty killing approximates 79.49%, and these statistics can be used as an advantage for the home team in terms of scoring chances and their ability to capitalize on man advantage.

Game 71: Flames host the St. Louis Blues on March 20th Sportsnet @ 7.00 pm

The Blues (32-29-8) rank 12th in the western conference division, and have accumulated a total of 72 points in 69 games. They are 13-16-3 on the road and rank 20th in the league. Although their penalty killing percentage is marginally lower (82.47%), it offsets their power play record, which is higher than the Flames (21.02%). Yet, this factor may just be trivial: The Calgary Flames had defeated their counterparts on three consecutive occasions (Dec 5, Dec 16, and Jan 13).

In sum, the Flames fare better statistically overall and also have the propensity to stand up to their expectations. Certainly, the return of Andre Roy and Daymond Langkow has boosted the team’s spirits and shortened the injury list; but simultaneously, the absences of Bertuzzi, Bourque and Giordano have not gone unnoticed. On the affective perspective, the number of bizarre penalty calls at times is quite alarming: it hurts their statistics; exhausts the penalty killers; and maximizes their opponent’s chances to outscore them. After giving up power play and shorthanded goals, the Flames statistics constitutes of 19.47% and 83.71% respectively.

Subsequently, the Flames will have to put their disillusionment behind them and focus on this week’s lighter schedule. If they can sustain a 100% success rate, they can establish a good home record and rise above their potential once again and impress their fans on home ice.

These two games will be hosted on the Fan 960.

Statistics as of Mar 17th