Tanev's sacrifice symbolic of laser-focused Flames with holiday goal in mind

CALGARY – Chris Tanev blocked so many shots the other night that the NHL couldn’t keep up with him.

Half an hour after the game, off-ice officials updated the game sheet by crediting him with an additional block, giving him an NHL season-high 10 in the game.

“I had no clue - I thought I blocked two shots,” said the Flames defenceman, who returned from injury Monday to stop a bucket of pucks in a 3-1 win over the Panthers.

“I don’t think I blocked ten, to be honest.

“That stuff is not something I think about. 

“Just playing the game and glad we won.”

Any ill effects from the persistent puck pelting? 

“Feel good,” shrugged Tanev, who’d rather position himself in front of a 100 mph slapper than talk about it.

“Whenever we win I feel great.

“The goal every game is to win.”

Which brings us to the real focus around Calgary these days.

Despite Jonathan Huberdeau’s ongoing struggles (he’s now pointless in nine straight), the injuries, the callups, the suspensions, the trade speculation and the departure of Nikita Zadorov, the Flames sit just three points out of a wild card spot.

It’s an interesting perch for a club that has generated significant momentum with points in four straight, including back-to-back wins over the Florida clubs.

Although the struggles of so many Western Conference rivals have allowed them to stay in the race, their 44 shot blocks in their last two outings speak to a persistence and sacrifice that has also played a big role of late.

Leaving Wednesday for games in Anaheim and Los Angeles before the Christmas break, the focal point for the 13-14-5 club is to be above .500 by the holiday.

“It’s been a goal for a while,” said Tanev, whose team had a meeting last week in which winning the four games before Christmas was the openly-stated goal.  

“We’ve gotten to .500 and then we lose a couple games.

“Moreso, our goal is to get closer to that wild card.

“We have two big games, and if we win both of those that would put us in a great position to be able to track down some teams ahead of us.

“You don’t want four or five teams ahead of you. 

“It’s tough to run down that many teams, especially the last part of the year when there are a lot of division games, so there are a lot of three-point games where everyone is picking up points.

“Last few games before the break, so just trying to get as close to the wild card as we can before the stoppage.”

Jacob Markstrom’s return from a fractured finger Monday gave the team added confidence, the roster is relatively healthy, and the team’s never-say-die mentality has had them in all but one game their last five weeks — a stretch that has seen them go 9-6-3.

The last thing coach Ryan Huska is worried about is the team being distracted by having sugarplums dance in their heads.

“I used to hate it in junior because they were most definitely (distracted), but for my time up here I feel like they are pros, and they understand the time of year and they make sure they are ready for these games,” said Huska.

“Also, with the situation we’re in, there’s importance in these games, so we have to make sure we’re ready to play.”

Four teams are within five points of Arizona, which is the surprise placeholder for the final wild-card berth.

The Flames are three back.

The Oilers are seven out with games in hand.

This is going to get interesting, but only if the Flames continue to trend well, which starts Thursday against a rebuilding Ducks squad that has faded of late, following a surprising start.

“It would absolutely be huge,” said Noah Hanifin, when asked about returning from Los Angeles Saturday night with four points on this two-game trip.

“We’ve been playing some really good hockey of late and it’s heading in the right direction.

“Obviously Christmas is that marking point where most teams see where they are at, so if we can get over .500 and get closer to that wild card spot it’s a good position for us.”