Inferno: The Rise of the Calgary Flames

It's ironic; the Pacific Division is clearly the worst out of the four divisions this season, yet it has the most intriguing storylines. The up-and-down play of the Edmonton Oilers, as well as their signing of Evander Kane. The Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks becoming playoff contenders. The Vegas Golden Knights struggling, the Vancouver Canucks staying in the race, and the Seattle Kraken's first season. The biggest story, without question, is the Calgary Flames suddenly going on a winning tear and taking the lead in the Pacific Division.

The Flames are three years removed from finishing with the best record in the entire Western Conference. They won Game One of their Pacific Division Semifinal series against the Colorado Avalanche in shutout fashion, but that's where the good times ended, as they would lose four straight games in that series. The Flames qualified for the modified "bubble" playoffs in 2020, and won their Qualifying Round series over the Winnipeg Jets. Up two games to one over the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Quarterfinals, they had a one-goal lead with 10 seconds left in Game Four, but Dallas tied it, won in OT, and won the next two games. The shortened 2020-21 season saw the Flames in the localized North Division, but they would finish in fifth place, falling shy of the division's playoff line.

This season has seen the Flames appear to rebound from their disappointing campaign in 2020-21, which included winning five straight games entering the break. They were in a Wild Card position at that point, but they would return and add three more wins, capitalizing on the woes of the Golden Knights, Kings, and Ducks to take the lead in the Pacific Division. It also helped that they had a lot of games in hand; in fact, they have the fewest games played among Pacific Division teams. Oh boy!

Regarding the numbers, the player leading the way for the Calgary Flames is none other than Johnny Gaudreau, with 20 goals and 43 assists for 63 points! His 43 helpers tie him with Connor McDavid for second in the entire league, and his 63 points place him in the league's top five. Gaudreau also leads the league in Plus/Minus with a +39 this year; meaning when he's on the ice, the Flames score! Gaudreau (nicknamed "Johnny Hockey") is my favorite player on the Flames, and I'm happy that he has rebounded from the previous season. Even as an Avalanche fan, I hated seeing how poorly Gaudreau performed in the playoffs--only one assist in that series against Colorado. He is really picking it up and performing like the elite player that we all know he is.

Two more elite players on the team are Matthew Tkachuk and Elias Lindholm, with the first-born son of Keith Tkachuk (as well as the older brother of Ottawa Senators star player Brady Tkachuk) racking up 54 points (23G/31A). Lindholm has 46 points (21G/25A), but the goal scoring leader on the team is none other than Andrew Mangiapane with 25 goals (he only has eight helpers, though). Rasmus Andersson leads Flames defensemen in points with 27, though 25 of them are assists, while Oliver Kylington's six goals are the most among Calgary's defensemen.

In net, Jacob Markstrom has been very stellar. The Flames acquired Markstrom from the Vancouver Canucks prior to the shortened 2020-21 season, which would see him go 22-19-2 with a GAA of 2.66 and a SV% of .904. This season: 21-10-5, 2.12 GAA, .927 SV%, and a league-leading eight shutouts! Jack Campbell (TOR) and Ilya Sorokin (NYI) are tied for 2nd on the list with four each, meaning that it took those two combined to match Markstrom's total. They also have a pretty good backup in the form of Dan Vladar: 7-3-1 record, 2.58 GAA, .911 SV%, and two shutouts. Markstrom and Vladar have combined for ten shutouts this season!

The Flames are certainly on a roll; they have a decent lead in the Pacific Division, with still a few games in hand. The remaining months will tell if they stay up there; they definitely appear to be playoff bound, but will they really end up finishing in first place in the Pacific Division? Could we get the Battle of Alberta in the playoffs? I certainly hope so!

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