Flames Clinch Playoff Spot With Help from an Unlikely Ally

Hours before the Calgary Flames took the ice for their game against the Arizona Coyotes, they received the good news that they are in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs! The Flames entered Saturday's action needing one point to clinch, but one of the other scenarios also involved the Vegas Golden Knights. Sure enough, that's exactly what happened. The Vegas Golden Knights lost 4-0 to the Edmonton Oilers, and with that, the Flames are playoff bound for the 3rd time in four seasons. Yes, you read that right. The Edmonton Oilers actually helped the Calgary Flames get into the playoffs. Isn't hockey wonderful?

The Flames' clinch marks the first for the Pacific Division this season, and the third overall for the Western Conference, joining the Colorado Avalanche and the St. Louis Blues. The Flames have been very fun to watch; they have an amazing crop of players--such as Matthew Tkachuk, Andrew Mangiapane, Elias Lindholm, and my favorite on the team, Johnny Gaudreau. The four players I just named all have 30+ goals this season, and regarding the man nicknamed "Johnny Hockey," he surpassed the century mark in points this season. Another key player in the Flames' amazing season is Jacob Markstrom, who is leading the league in shutouts with nine, and is closing in on the overall league lead in victories as well.

Regarding team stats, the Flames are sixth in scoring; racking up 3.47 goals per game, which is just a hair ahead of the Oilers. Their power play percentage is 23.7, which is ninth in the league. Regarding their penalty kill, Calgary's percentage of 83.8 is fifth overall, and they've scored seven shorthanded goals. Defensively, Calgary's GAA is 2.51, which is tied with the New York Rangers for 2nd overall; only the Carolina Hurricanes have a lower GAA (2.37). They also have 11 total shutouts, which leads the entire NHL.

The Flames are looking to avenge the last two postseasons they were in. We all know what happened in 2019; Calgary had one of their best seasons, finishing with the best record in the entire Western Conference, but they were trounced by the wild card Colorado Avalanche in the opening round. In the 2020 bubble, the Flames won their Qualifying Round series over the Winnipeg Jets, and in the Western Conference Quarterfinals, the Flames held a 2-1 series lead and were 10 seconds away from taking a 3-1 lead. However, they gave up a game tying goal, lost in overtime, and never got their momentum back. The shortened 2020-21 season saw the Flames narrowly miss the playoffs, finishing in fifth place in the localized all-Canadian North Division.

Regarding Calgary's positioning, getting the #1 seed is officially out, but there's still the Pacific Division. The Flames are in a close race with their provincial rivals, the Edmonton Oilers, this season; seriously, I can't be the only one really enjoying that the Alberta teams are one-two in the division. Calgary is actually done with the Oilers for the rest of the regular season, but they are in prime position to win the Pacific Division for the 2nd time in the last four seasons. Should the Flames finish first in their division, they will face the Western Conference's #1 Wild Card in the Pacific Semifinals. If not, they'll face either the Oilers or the Los Angeles Kings in that opening round series. The final two weeks should be interesting for the Calgary Flames, as they pursue a division title and (possibly) an easier path to their first Stanley Cup in 33 years.

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