Calgary's 5-2 loss to the rival Oilers already has the clock ticking on the season
The Calgary Flames keep insisting they are a playoff-caliber team.
Despite a five-game losing skid in which they have been outscored by a 20-6 margin, the Flames assert better days are ahead.
The reality is for the 31st place team, the young’uns are yet to go trick-or-treating and the Flames already are running out of time to prove they can contend for a playoff spot or even start climbing the standings.
With their 2-6-1 mark, the Flames require a massive turnaround, and essentially must play at a 100-point pace the rest of the season.
Can it happen? Sure. Anything is possible.
Will it happen? Not if the Flames continue to look like the squad that lost 5-2 to the 30th overall Edmonton Oilers during Sunday’s Heritage Classic outdoor game. (Trying to avoid a comment regarding the hillbilly/male stripper look they donned for the rink arrival, cowboy boots, cowboy hat and overalls with no shirt.)
Despite all the pre-game talk of knowing this was a golden opportunity to change their flagging fortunes, the Flames were exactly the same squad as they have been since their opening-season victory.
Impotent offensive attack? Check.
Constant turnovers? Check.
Invisible top-paid players? Check, check, check.
After falling behind 2-0 — and wasting a lengthy five-on-three power play when it was a single-goal deficit — the Flames twice pulled within one only to show little signs of actually getting over the hump.
“Sometimes when things aren't going your way, you feel like you're behind the eight ball all the time,” said forward Nazem Kadri, who finally scored his first goal of the season. “And I think that's where we're at right now.”
Here are three other thoughts after the Flames flopped:
No jump out of the stater’s blocks: It took the Flames more than six minutes and a 1-0 deficit to even manage a shot on goal. At that point, the Oilers had eight and were already starting to feel good about themselves. If a team can not come out guns-a-blazing when facing its biggest rivals in a marquee event, there is a serious problem.
Whatever the issue — lack of confidence, lack of talent, lack of desire — it is inexcusable.
“I thought we were waiting for something to happen instead of going after it and attacking the game,” coach Ryan Huska said. “So, we were sitting back. I thought one team was skating and one wasn’t in the first period. I thought in the second and third period, we got better. And we had a lot more zone time from that point.”
Pop-gun attack: Even before the season started, nobody believed the Flames would have a top-tier offense, but what has transpired is even worse than feared. During their five-game skid, the Flames have managed three even-strength goals. That is not a typo.
Maybe Kadri’s first-period goal will spark his game, but there have been no signs many others currently struggling are on the verge of a breakout. Jonathan Huberdeau continues to mystify with his soft passes, often while trying force them through defenders, Yegor Sharangovich looks nothing like a potential 20-goal scorer and Elias Lindholm has been held without a point in four consecutive games (not a good look for a player reportedly asking for $9 million per season on a long-term deal), just to name a few of those who are not producing anywhere close to even muted expectations.
Rasmus Andersson’s return from his four-game suspension will help. However, while the Flames struggle to even make a simple offensive-zone play — let alone show some creativity — this will be an ongoing problem.
Contract talk: This is something worth delving into deeper very soon, but the impact of Calgary’s horrible start must be a factor when it comes to the possibility of long-term deals with Lindholm and defenseman Noah Hanifin. And it should be seriously considered by both sides.
If Lindholm continues to struggle, is it worth it for the Flames to try keeping the soon-to-be 29-year-old in the fold? If the Flames continue to struggle, will Lindholm and Hanifin want to stay?
The Flames may not like to use the word rebuild, but everyone in the organization must be asking themselves whether that is their reality despite hoping otherwise.