Calgary's Two Day War

If I were Brent Sutter (Calgary’s head coach) I would be chomping TUMS like candy and listening to Enya to keep my heart rate down. Brent knows his prevailing in the 8th spot for the post-season and possibly his job are at stake if his players don’t view the rest of the regular season as if they were the playoffs. He was in this spot years ago with a team called the New Jersey Devils.

Tonight the Flames face the Vancouver Canucks. If they win, they will finally catch Detroit for the 8th spot. If they go to overtime and lose, they will be tied with Detroit at 78 points. A win will put them one point ahead.

If the Flames lose they will get a second chance tomorrow night. But it will keep them in desperation; a place where Brent Sutter is tired of being.

At 10pm (EST) tonight its Vancouver. Then they have to try to get some rest on the quick ride home, where they will play again at 9:30pm (EST).

Take one guess who the Flames play Monday night. That’s right, Detroit! Calgary will try yet again to either hang on for dear life or, win both tonight and tomorrow and possibly pole vault all the way to 6th place in the west (depending on the Nashville and Avalanche games).

 No matter what happens, The Flames are in the very critical spot that could mean the difference between fighting for their playoff lives or being able to take a punch and not hit the canvass while the count to knock out is pointed at their heads.

Calgary fans, I empathize with you. Load your fridges with beer to keep the edge off. Two wins in a row would give you all something great to start your Tuesday.