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The Pacific Division was supposed to be a lopsided section of the NHL standings. With teams like the Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks, Los Angeles Kings and even the San Jose Sharks, everyone else was supposed to just fall to the wayside in the wake of these Western Conference power houses.
Now, in the 2014-15 season, the Calgary Flames have surprisingly burst onto the scene as a competitor in the Pacific Division. As of Dec. 29 there is currently a four-way tie for second in the division with the Flames, Canucks, Sharks and Kings. We have now passed the Holiday Break, and each team is nearing the halfway mark of their seasons. Calgary has been competitive thus far but it will be a tight finish to make it into the post-season.
Something the Flames lack compared to the other aforementioned teams is a sense of intimidation. When you travel to the Staples Center as an opposing team, you are nervous to have to go up against the likes of Dustin Brown, Jonathan Quick, and Drew Doughty. Facing a young Calgary group is much less intimidating for most teams because they know they are going up against guys like Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, and Josh Jooris; much younger less experienced players.
What the Flames lack in intimidation they make up for in hard work; a trend that is continuing from last season. Coach Bob Hartley is obviously doing something right with the young group he has. He is getting the most out of them for a majority of games and has worked very well with what he was given by General Manager Brad Treliving.
It’s going to be a tough battle for the Flames down the stretch. They are in a tough division, and an even tougher conference. They’ve been competitive for the first half of the season, recently having beaten the L.A. Kings twice, but now everyone will be fighting for their playoff lives. This sense of desperation will be make or break for the Flames, and we’ll just have to watch and see how it all unfolds.
It’s the NHL, nothing is certain.
Shaun Lavery is a Calgary Flames writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, or add him to your network on Google.
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