This season has been a write-off for Calgary Flames fans, with the only thing left to hope for is a high draft pick. However, in the midst of a down season, the Flames have quietly earned their fourth win in a row last night, their longest winning streak of the season. This streak is longer than any the Edmonton Oilers have had all season, with their longest win streak sitting at three games.
The Flames’ four wins in a row
This wasn’t a four-game stretch the Flames played against bottom-feeder teams like them; this was a stretch that included games against a playoff favourite, the defending Stanley Cup Champions, and a team fighting for a playoff spot this season. They beat all of them, the Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Florida Panthers.
The win against the Tampa Bay Lightning is especially sweet. The Flames have struggled against the Lightning since the 2004 playoff run, and anytime they can exact revenge for the goal that should have counted in Game six that year is especially sweet.
To add even more insult to injury, the Oilers played Tampa, Florida, and St. Louis this month, and lost by a combined score of 12–3, including an abysmal 4–0 loss to the Panthers, their bitter Stanley Cup Final opponent.
What does this actually mean for the two Alberta teams?
At the end of the day, the Oilers are heading to the playoffs, and the Flames are fighting for a high draft pick. The four-game win streak probably hurts the Flames more than anything else, but the fact that the Oilers can’t win four games in a row doesn’t bode well for their playoff chances. The team has been fine all year long, and were it not for them playing in a very weak Pacific Division, they may not even have been a playoff team at all.
However, in a down year when there is little to really root for on this team besides a draft pick, little wins like this one hit even harder. The Flames going 3–1 against the Oilers in the Battle of Alberta this season is even sweeter as the underdog, and now having a longer winning streak than they have had all season is a little bit of sweetness after a hard season.