Flames move towards murky middle with win over Sabres

CALGARY – Three points.

This is what currently distinguishes Calgary Flames from a place in the playoffs.

Yes, you read that right.

A freak 7-4 win over Buffalo Monday snapped their 30th tie against the Sabres, starting an annual Christmas tradition that has Flames fans craning their necks to see a path to the postseason.

Keep in mind that the Flames have played the most games of any team in the West, and there are still six teams between them and the final wild card spot.

Even the discussion of the playoffs is more of a mirage than a reality.

But as Flames fans engage in mental gymnastics every year, right now from their vantage point it's clear they're closer to the playoff line than last place for the first time this season.

To get there, they bested the NHL's biggest star of the last decade, a team that amply demonstrated just how low the grudge meter can register when the culture of failure is as deep as the snow in Buffalo.

And with the Flames almost evenly spaced between last and eighth in the West, it's the perfect time to reignite the citywide debate about whether it's best for the Flames to continue to build on their current 7-2-1 play or rely on a terrible start.

The reality is that the club will continue to do what it has done over the past few years, continually introducing young, promising players into the squad while attempting to maintain a competitive and winning culture within the club.

It's worked lately, lottery draft be damned.

Monday morning began with the news that Hunter Brzustewicz was called from the farm to treat the injured Jake Bean.

This is the type of promotion that fans can't get enough of.

Twelve hours later, Brzustevich's former defense partner, Yan Kuznetsov, was pushing the winner like a “fire poker.”

That's three wins in a row for the Flames.

The first two were on the back of Dustin Wolf, and the last was the result of what happens when your luck starts to level off after more than a month without a puck.

The Flames don't need to apologize for a string of fluky goals scored Monday, starting with Yegor Sharangovich's opener when Mackenzie Weegar hit a carom off the inside of the Belarusian's arm.

“Good shot from Wigs – almost killed me, but good bounce,” smiled the soft-spoken winger, who later fired his sixth goal of the season into an empty net from 170 feet away.

“I think it's very important that we took the W and won three games in a row. Now we're having fun, everyone's smiling and we just keep going.”

Indeed, the mood around the team has improved significantly recently, as has their record.

The Flames have done well to find their game, returning to a structure that allows them to win close, low-scoring games with two in-form goalies.

Monday's game was more like pond hockey than anything else, but the Flames deserve credit for reacting quickly every time the Sabers found the net.

They caught a big break when Tage Thompson's goal was disallowed for offside, and they smiled and shrugged when Rasmus Andersson's point shot somehow found the target despite breaking his stick on the muffed shot.

“It's funny because a lot of times you feel like you're doing the right thing and you just can't stop,” he said. Nazem Kadriwho completed one superb pass and added two assists.

“I think now we've stayed consistent and started getting pucks, which is good to see. It makes it a lot easier.”

Jonathan Huberdeau also scored for the Flames, converting on a power-play pass from Matt Coronato.

Sharangovich finished with three points as his line with Kadri and Joel Farabee continues to improve.

“I think he's going to hit the net right now,” Huska said of the team's most disappointing striker.

“He's starting to skate more with the puck, and I think he has more confidence, composure, whatever you want to call it, with the puck right now. It doesn't matter how they come in, they come in, but it comes in because that's where he needs to be. And I do think there's some chemistry on that line right now.”

Like it or not, the 12-15-4 Flames continue to dig out the early hole that had people asking for Gavin McKenna Flames jerseys for Christmas.

The inevitable path back to the unclear middle continues.