ST. LOUIS — Just when you thought things couldn’t go any worse …
Sometime during yet another loss, now numbering six in a row, the Calgary Flames learned that the charter plane they’d booked for Thursday’s late-night flight to their next stop had been delayed in another city.
They’d be spending the night in St. Louis.
It’s been that sort of stretch for this struggling squad, now without a win in upwards of two weeks, without a goal in 11 straight periods away from the Saddledome, without a lift — for one night anyway — to Philadelphia, where they’ll try to change their fortunes in Saturday’s matinee against the Flyers (11 a.m. MT, Sportsnet West/Sportsnet 960 The Fan).
“I think it was almost a good thing. Maybe it was a sign when that plane didn’t end up coming,” said Flames alternate captain Matthew Tkachuk. “We had a good night here where we just went back to the hotel, everyone hung out together for a few hours and talked and whatever needed to be said was said.
“We have such a great group. Everyone enjoys each other’s company and we’re all good buddies in there. So when you’re good buddies, you want to do everything you can for them. We’re excited to get back to that (Saturday).”
These Flames were supposed to be a high-flyer in the Western Conference standings, but instead they find themselves grounded.
For the first month of the 2019-20 campaign, they were consistently inconsistent.
Lately, they’ve been far more predictable.
Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss.
During this six-game skid, including five straight regulation setbacks, they have allowed 23 goals. They have scored five.
Flames honcho Brad Treliving insisted Friday that he deserves the blame — “The manager has been horse-(bleep)” — but there’s plenty to go around.
There are only a hat-trick of skaters — Andrew Mangiapane, Sean Monahan and Tkachuk — with multiple points during the current swoon.
Johnny Gaudreau is minus-11 over this miserable stretch. His on-again linemates, Monahan (-9) and Elias Lindholm (-8), aren’t much better.
Mark Jankowski, an offensive non-factor this season, has somehow mustered only one shot on goal across 88 shifts in those half-dozen dates.
“We can’t hope for something to bounce for us. We need to make it happen,” said Flames alternate captain Mikael Backlund after Friday’s practice in St. Louis, a session originally scheduled for one time-zone over. “I hope everyone looks themselves in the mirror and feels like they can do better, because all of us can be better. As a group, we can be better.
“I just hope that everyone realizes we have to turn this around sooner rather than later. It’s been a while now, and it’s frustrating. It’s tough. It’s another word I won’t say in media. But that’s the reality, so it’s time to do it now.”
It was during the third period of Thursday’s 5-0 blast from the Blues that Giordano decided it was time for a players-only meeting.
So after the final buzzer sounded, after being blanked for a third straight outing in their road whites, the locker-room door was pulled shut for about 10 minutes.
When they found out they wouldn’t be flying to Philly until the next afternoon, the heart-to-hearts continued at the team hotel.
“There have obviously been other moments in the year where you feel like you have to say things,” Giordano explained. “But I feel like (Thursday), and a lot of guys felt this way too, we had to really sit down and go over it and take some time together. It’s not about hurting anyone’s feelings. I think everyone in here understands that things are said to help to the team win, so it was good to hear guys’ opinions and feelings.”
The meetings continued prior to Friday’s practice, with Treliving pulling aside his leadership sorts before a speech to the full squad.
He wasn’t there to announce a trade or firing, rather to reiterate his belief in what he’s already assembled. This is, after all, the same core cast that soared to 50 victories last winter and was supposed to be hardened by a first-round playoff pasting.
“There’s no saviour coming in — I think that’s the message,” Giordano said. “I think we have the guys in here. We’ve been through ups and downs before. This is a tough skid for us, there is no doubt about that, but we’re going to get through it.”
Echoed centre Derek Ryan: “We know what we have in this group and what we’re capable of. And I don’t think that’s left us.”
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