The stakes are high for the Calgary Flames as they take on the Minnesota Wild at the Saddledome on Friday night, with the fate of their season hanging in the balance.
The Flames sit five points back of both the Wild and the St. Louis Blues for the final Western Conference playoff spot.
With four games remaining, the Flames’ margin for error is slim.
“We’ve had the most important game 20 games in a row, but this one’s definitely got a little extra juice in it,” forward Blake Coleman told reporters Friday.
The Flames are coming off a two-game trip to the west coast that ended with a devastating 4-3 overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night.
The powerplay sputtered, going 0/6 with the man advantage in the loss.
“(The powerplay) wasn’t good the last game,” head coach Ryan Huska said.
“They’ve had stretches over the last few where they need to be better; I think they all know that. And the situation we’re in, we need them to be difference makers for us, so I know they’re going to be much better tonight.”
Forward Jonathan Huberdeau said the team needs to play better defensively after blowing a two-goal lead in a span of eight seconds in the third period on Wednesday.
“It’s a must win. I mean, it’s been like this for a while, but this one is the biggest one of the year. So, I think we’ve got to come out and just play like the way that we’ve been playing most of the year,” Huberdeau said.
The Flames have three games remaining after Friday night’s bout, facing off against the San Jose Sharks, Vegas Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings over the next seven days.
But they need to take care of business against the Wild to keep their playoff hopes off of life support.
The Wild got some reinforcements this week in the form of forwards Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek, who scored two and four goals, respectively, after returning from injury in an 8-7 overtime victory against the Sharks on Wednesday.
“I think they play a very fast game. I think they play a hard game; they have a lot of bigger bodies on that side that are physical players,” Huska said.
“And they have a good skill set on that team as well, so they’re a difficult team in a lot of different ways.”
The Flames called up top prospect Zayne Parekh this week after his season in the OHL finished up.
But any fans who were hoping to see Parekh’s debut on Friday night will have to wait a little longer.
“Zayne’s been here for a pre-game skate. He’s going to play games. He’s going to have a long career, but we want to make sure he’s in a position where he’s ready to roll,” Huska said.
“For one, understand how we play the game, and two, make sure he’s comfortable too. So, all that comes into play. He’s going to play. He’s going to have a nice, long career. But he’s been around us for two days.”
With a win Friday , the Flames would draw two points closer to both the Wild and Blues in the standings, with games at hand.
But a loss, while not mathematically eliminating the Flames, would make their chances of making the playoffs even more slim.
The Wild will clinch a playoff spot if the beat the Flames in any fashion.
The Edmonton Oilers also benefit from a Flames loss, clinching their playoff berth if Minnesota wins Friday.
Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. MT on Friday night at the Saddledome.
