RALEIGH, N.C. – This is the moment where it certainly feels like the bottom has all but officially dropped out of the Calgary Flames’ playoff hopes.
A shellacking can do that to a group, especially when it’s the second in as many days.
Following a month-long stretch where the Flames went 10-4 despite trading three of their core players, the lads wrapped up a three-game Eastern roadie with a thud.
A 7-2 spanking in Carolina Sunday followed a 5-1 loss to the Panthers one day earlier.
Turbulence or not, the flight home must have been rough, especially considering the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights come calling this week.
“I’ve gotten my ass kicked plenty of times in this league, and it’s how you respond,” said Blake Coleman in the quietest of dressing rooms.
“Our leadership group will make sure that showing never happens again.”
“We beat both of these teams earlier in the year. Everybody in this league is beatable in my opinion. We played a good first period in Florida and honestly could have been up in that game, just didn’t get the bounces. And then the fight and the life came out of us and there’s no excuse for it.”
No time for it either, as it all starts to boil down to a numbers game at this time of year.
And the numbers are ugly.
Outshot 40-20 Sunday, including a 16-2 deficit in the opening period, the Flames continued a trend that has seen them go 0-5-1 in the second half of back-to-backs this season.
For a “pack of hyenas” that has to outwork anybody they play to have a chance, having low energy in an opposing building is a recipe for disaster.
Outscored 12-3 in their last 5 periods, the Flames sit eight points out of a wild card spot with 18 games remaining and a handful of teams in the chase with them.
While Minnesota was pulling their goalie in overtime to go two points ahead of Calgary, the Flames were getting spanked. Again.
For a Flames team adjusting to life without three of its biggest stars, there’s no shame in dropping consecutive road tilts against juggernauts that got even deeper at the trade deadline.
But when you lose by more than field goals, it’s humbling.
On Saturday the host Panthers were paced by newbie Vladimir Tarasenko, and on Sunday the Canes were energized by the recent return of Freddie Andersen and the arrival of Evgeny Kuznetsov, as Jake Guentzel looked on.
There’s plenty of reason for players on both host teams to be jacked up as the playoffs near.
The Flames have to find reasons to get excited.
And even though the Flames had won six of their last seven prior to these two beatings, their poor start to the season is proving to be their undoing once again.
Given the character this team has shown throughout endless noise and roster subtractions, it would be wrong and disrespectful to suggest this group is giving up.
Sunday was simply a clunker.
Every team has ’em.
You just can’t afford them when you’re desperately chasing from behind in the standings.
“They’re a really good team and it was a good chance for us to measure up against the guys who are going for it this year, so kind of an underwhelming game from us, start to finish,” said Dryden Hunt, who scored his second of the year.
“We can make the excuses of back-to-back, but everybody in this league plays back-to-back and against good teams.
“Definitely frustrating, we go home and play two really good teams this week so another good chance for us to measure up against the teams that are going for it. Hopefully we can take some lessons from this game and bring them into the next game.”
Lucky not to be down more than 2-0 after the first period, thanks to Dan Vladar, the floodgates opened early in the second when two more quick goals prompted a Flames timeout and a subsequent attempt from Brayden Pachal to spark his club.
It didn’t work either, as a tussle with Brendan Lemieux went sideways.
“It’s one of those games you’re not going to take a lot from – we weren’t good, really, in any aspect of it,” said Huska, who figured it all came down to a lack of competitiveness, which is something you can rarely say about his club.
“The (effort) wasn’t good, the skating wasn’t good, the game plan wasn’t good. It was everything.
“I think you use it, but it’s not one you ever want to replicate again, that’s for sure. They skated and we didn’t.”
Clearly embarrassed by their showing, the team owed Vladar an apology of sorts.
“We’ve already addressed it, and you feel bad for him,” said Coleman.
“He hasn’t been in the net very much lately and he gets hung out to dry all night long.
“We made them look way better than they were and it’s unfortunate.”
“Just an awful effort, all-round.”