How the Calgary Flames can beat the Chicago Blackhawks

Heading into this game on a six-game losing streak, the Calgary Flames are looking for any kind of jump tonight vs. the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Calgary Flames are in somewhat of a funk and they desperately need to get out of it. They’ll have a chance tonight vs. the Chicago Blackhawks before they head on a six-game road trip. The Flames have already made some lineup changes tonight. Most of which fans aren’t too pleased about (don’t go on Twitter).

• Matt Bartkowski in, Brett Kulak out
• Andrew Mangiapane in, Mark Jankowski out

Fans are excited about Mangiapane. But not at the expense of Jankowski when there’s a perfectly good Curtis Lazar to take out instead. That being said, let’s try and look at the positives ahead of tonight’s game, despite these lineup changes. Here are a few ways the Flames can defeat the Blackhawks.

Don’t get overconfident

In five of the Flames six losses, they scored the first goal. The only game they didn’t was against the Vegas Golden Knights, where it actually seemed like they were going to win, but everything fell apart in 10 seconds.

Related Story: What is behind Calgary's recent third period collapses?

The Flames inability to hold leads has been their downfall in this losing streak. Before the Vegas game, they were 53-0-3 when leading after two periods. Then they lost their next two games in regulation when leading after 40. Something changed with this team and they’ve somewhat fallen apart in the third period.

The last time these two teams played on NYE, the Flames won 4-3 in OT. But they also had a three-goal lead early in the second period, which the Blackhawks tied up, and scored the game-tying goal in the last two minutes of the game. They need to keep the Hawks in check and not let them get those late-period chances that the Flames have been guilty of allowing lately.

If they can keep their momentum high for the full 60 and not get overconfident, that’s all we can ask for.

Powerplay

Have people been talking about the Calgary Flames powerplay enough? I don’t think so. A huge problem for the Flames is their powerplay, especially in those one-goal games they were losing in OT/SO during this losing streak. A powerplay goal here and there could have helped them immensely.

The good news is that their powerplay looked good vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning and they actually scored a PP goal. The bad news is that they teased us yesterday by having Dougie Hamilton practice on the first PP unit, but then today, they went back to the old PP. It’s not that I don’t like Mark Giordano or TJ Brodie on the powerplay, it’s the Dougie is the Flames best offensive defenceman with a hard, right-handed shot. Something the Flames have been lacking without the likes of Kris Versteeg.

The powerplay goal that the Flames scored vs. the Bolts was the second PP unit that included Dougie. Not making many differences with the man-advantage over the last few games won’t make a difference on the score sheet either.

Continue the offence

In the game vs. the Bolts, the Calgary Flames put up more than two goals for just the second time since Jan.14. They were getting shots to the net and outscored Tampa by a score of 46-31. They, unfortunately, didn’t get the results they wanted, but putting pucks to the net and stopping your opponents from doing the same is always a good method.

The Flames had goals from three of their lines and, I hate to admit it, but their fourth line looked great in that game as well. If they can continue getting help from all four lines, they can continue that offence.

Despite these losses, the Flames have actually been playing good hockey. Except for two periods in their last four games, they’ve had the edge in puck-possession at 5v5. They’ve also had the edge in scoring chances in those four games as well. If they can continue that, luck has to start going their way. But right now, it seems like they’re the primary targets of Murphy’s Law.

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I’m asking whatever hockey gods are out there to please give the Flames just one (1) win. Is that too much to ask?