For the first time in 13 years, the Calgary Flames are looking to avoid losing eight consecutive games on the road Thursday night as they visit the Nashville Predators.
This comes as the Flames ride a six-game winning streak at the Saddledome, topped off by a hat trick performance from Curtis Glencross in a victory against the Predators less than one week ago.
“It’s the total opposite of our start,” head coach Bob Hartley said. “If we remember the way we started on the road, the way we played, and the way we were playing at home and our record at home, I think we flipped. We became a much better team at home than on the road.”
With a 3-7-2 record away from Calgary, the Flames continue to struggle with goal production on the road.
In 12 road games, Calgary has scored a mere 26 goals, allowing a whopping 42 during the same time compared to 52 total goals accumulated during 15 games at home, while allowing 46 by the opposing team.
“I think our starts have hurt us on the road, trying to come back from behind like last game,” said captain Jarome Iginla, who has recorded two goals and two assists for four points in the last seven road losses. “Going forward, we think we can be a good road team and we need to be a good road team.”
In all seven losses, the Flames trailed after the first period in five of seven games. Not surprisingly, Calgary has trailed after the second period in the same five games, and in four of seven games, trailed by more than one goal after two periods.
“You look at the three goals we gave up (in Dallas) and I always hate to go back to games, but it’s three freebies,” Hartley said. “When you spot a team three easy goals, you make it very tough. We addressed it again; we’re going to do lots of work in our defensive zone coverage.”
Through 27 games played, the Flames have allowed 67 even-strength goals in regulation time, producing a 3.26 goals against average per game, ranking 28th in the league.
Not coincidently, Calgary’s road record also currently ranks 28th in the league, above only Columbus and Colorado, who boast 3-8-1 and 2-9-3 records away from home ice, respectively.
“It’s disappointing,” Hartley said. “We had a meeting and I told them that I feel that (T.J.) Brodie is the only baby on our team, so to make rookie mistakes with only one baby on your team, the equation doesn’t work. We addressed many situations and the guys were good, but good in meetings is one thing, good on the ice is another.”
With 21 games remaining in the regular season for Calgary, 12 of which are on the road, including a tough road trip to end the season in Chicago on April 26, Hartley has set his sights on putting an end to the current Flames trend away from the Saddledome.
“We have three segments left and I feel that we need at least 27 points. Obviously, there’s no guarantee for this, but at the same time, it’s just to do it as a group,” he says.
If Calgary were to achieve 27 points in the 21 games remaining, the Flames could finish the 48-game season with 53 points out of a possible 96.
For now, however, Hartley is focused on Calgary winning the games directly in their focus, which begins Thursday night on the road in Nashville, as the Flames try and win for the first time since a 4-3 victory over the Stars in Dallas on Feb. 17.
“I like my team, I’ve said it many times. They’re great guys, they’re capable of doing many great things but the consistency, the ability to start a game on the right note and maintaining the intensity and focus, that’s where sometimes we get a bad wave and it’s costing us.”