6 Things the Flames Need to Do to Make the Playoffs
The Calgary Flames‘ magical season is continuing on. They’ve now won three straight, with the most recent being a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory over the New York Islanders. This team is continuing to find ways to shock the world, and sit just two points out of a playoff spot with 14 games remaining.
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Despite being on the outside looking in playoff-wise, the Flames are in a great position with two games in hand over the St. Louis Blues. They also hold the tiebreaker in regulation wins, meaning that as of now, they control their own destiny when it comes to making the playoffs. In order to do that, they will need to ensure they do these six things to the best of their ability.
## Need 1: Continue Filling the Net
Goals have been hard to come by this season for the Flames. They lack game-breakers on their roster, which is a big reason why so many expected them to struggle. Shockingly, their 2.59 goals per game (tied with San Jose for 31st in the NHL) haven’t prevented them from remaining in the playoff hunt.
The good news for the Flames is that their offence has come to life as of late. They were not only able to pot four against the Islanders, but defeated a good team in the New Jersey Devils by a 5-3 final two nights prior. Expecting five goals out of this group on a regular basis would be wishful thinking, but if they can up it from what they’ve done for the vast majority of the season, they should be in good shape.
## Need 2: Huberdeau Needs to Keep Rolling
Not many Flames fans, or hockey fans at all for that matter, expected much of anything from Jonathan Huberdeau this season. Seemingly everybody had written the 31-year-old off after two ugly seasons with the Flames. It’s been a much different story in 2024-25, however, as he’s proving he still has plenty of game left.
Jonathan Huberdeau, Calgary Flames (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
Not only has Huberdeau improved his two-way game, but his offence has come back to life. His team-leading 27 goals puts him on pace for a new career high, while his 55 points also serve as the team lead. He’s been particularly good as of late, having recorded three multi-point outings in his last six games. He looks like he’s getting more confident by day, and should be in store for a huge final 14 games of the season.
## Need 3: Andersson’s Rediscovered Offence Needs to Stick Around
After a blazing hot start to the season, Rasmus Andersson really struggled for a lengthy stretch. It had gotten to the point where many Flames fans felt it was better to trade the 28-year-old rather than offer him the eight-year contract extension that he would be in line to get should he remain in Calgary.
Perhaps understanding the magnitude of these games lately, Andersson has rediscovered his offensive touch. He had three assists in last night’s big win over the Islanders and now has six points over his last six outings. For a team that struggles to produce offence, the Flames need him to continue to be the type of offensive producer he’s capable of being to close out the regular season.
## Need 4: Goaltending Will Be Massive
There is zero question that Dustin Wolf is the biggest reason the Flames are in the spot they are. The rookie goaltender has been absolutely superb this season, and, at least in this writer’s opinion, should be the Calder Trophy winner at season’s end. There is no reason to doubt that he will continue his dominance in the weeks to come.
The question mark, however, was Dan Vladar. The 27-year-old hasn’t had the greatest of seasons, and playing him often felt like a scheduled loss. That said, he’s been excellent in his own right as of late, giving his team a chance to win each time he’s called upon. He will undoubtedly be given a few starts over these final 14 outings, and the Flames desperately need him to continue to come up with the big saves he’s been able to as of late.
## Need 5: Penalty Kill Needs to Improve
Another area in which this Flames team has really struggled this season is on the penalty kill. They’ve successfully killed off just 74.4 percent of their penalties in 2024-25, making it rather shocking they’re in the position they are in. That 74.4 percent success rate sits 27th amongst all 32 NHL teams.
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While no one should expect them to become an elite penalty-killing group over these final 14 games, they’re going to need to dig deep to improve it, while also making sure to stay extremely disciplined. If they could find a way to up that percentage to roughly 80 percent, it would give them a great opportunity to sneak into that final wild-card spot.
## Need 6: Health Will Be Huge
The Flames have managed to stay relatively healthy over the course of the 2024-25 campaign, although they’ve had a few key injuries in the new year. Connor Zary missed a significant stretch of time beginning in January, and is still finding his game since returning to the lineup. Since his return, they’ve been dealt another big blow: Mikael Backlund.
Mikael Backlund, Calgary Flames (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
Backlund was injured earlier in the month, and is being listed as week-to-week. The 36-year-old plays an integral role on the Flames’ penalty kill, and still provides some solid secondary scoring. This team desperately needs him to get back into the lineup, and from here on out, needs to pray for good health down the stretch, as they simply don’t have the depth to keep them afloat should another player or two go down.
## Fun Final Few Weeks Ahead
Regardless of whether or not the Flames get in, this is a race that could wind up coming down to the final game of the regular season. Playoff races are always fun, but it feels even more exciting with this group given the expectations entering the season. They’ve proven to be a resilient group all season long, to the point where it feels like they have a real shot at getting in. Buckle up, Flames fans. This is going to be fun.
