The Calgary Flames are catching fire at just the right time

The Calgary Flames have been disappointing all season, struggling to establish any momentum throughout the year, and usually sitting on the outside looking in in the playoff conversation.

But they may have caught fire at just the right time, with a four-game winning streak putting them just behind the Winnipeg Jets for the final wild card spot, including two come-from-behind wins over the Canucks and Ducks.

Does this team have enough left in the tank to squeeze into the final spot? Tyler Yaremchuk and Frank Seravalli talked about it on Daily Faceoff Live.

Frank Seravalli: It certainly looks like they’re catching fire. What I liked from the Flames this weekend, I spent a long time thinking about it and debating which team had the more impressive weekend, was it the Jets or the Flames. To me it was the Flames in the sense that they showed they have a heartbeat. They showed they have a pulse. They showed they actually have some heart. It feels like the Grinch conversation that we’re having here. Does the Grinch actually have a heart? Does Daryll Sutter have a heart? We’re not sure on either of those two things.

However, the way that the Flames battled back. Heading into Friday night’s game, 0-18-3 this season when trailing after two periods. We all know the story about the blown leads, we know the story of the Flames record in one-goal games, but 0-18-3 when trailing after two periods and now after this weekend, it’s 2-18-3. Heck of a time for the Calgary Flames to find that little extra gear knowing that their backs are against the wall. I still have some real doubts about their ability to get in to the playoffs, but they’ve made it far more interesting than I thought they would, and part of that is the Jets have also made it far more interesting than I thought they would.

But the Flames finally showed me something for a team that has struggled with confidence, struggled stringing things together. You see, the key here for the Flames is they’ve now won four games in a row, that’s a season high. They had won three in a row twice back in October, I think it was early November, but it’s been a long time since they’ve had a winning streak like this. And that’s exactly the type of effort that they’re going to need if they’re going to get in.

Tyler Yaremchuk: Also for the Flames, shout out to the loser point as well, because they’ve lost more games than they’ve won so far this season, but with 15 extra points scooped up, they’re still in the race. I’ve got two words for you when it comes to the next week in the Western Conference: giddy up, because we have some big, big matchups over the next 7-8 days.

This Wednesday, the Flames are in Winnipeg. This Saturday, the Preds are in Winnipeg, and next Monday, if things stay the same throughout this week, the game on Monday against the Flames and Preds could be the Last Chance Texaco for both Nashville and Calgary.

Frank Seravalli: Yeah it feels like it’s all going to come down to Wednesday. It’s a back-to-back for the Flames, if they can take care of business against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday, and then they fly in to Winnipeg on Wednesday. If they can somehow beat the Jets in that head-to-head matchup, I think they’re going to be in the driver’s seat in terms of securing that final spot. The Jets schedule is a little bit harder, the Flames is a little bit easier, four very, very winnable games after that one coming down the stretch for the Calgary Flames.

You can watch the full episode here…