Calgary Flames Details
With 94 points and 45 wins, the Calgary Flames slipped into the Western Conference playoffs via the Pacific Division. It was a grind for Calgary in 2016-17, as the 45 wins were extremely positive but the 33 regulation losses could have cost the team a Wild Card spot. In his first year as head coach, Glen Gulutzan got a lot of success out of a team that had just 35 wins and missed the postseason in 2015-16. The Flames were 4th in the division and headed into the playoffs. The Flames met division-rival Anaheim, getting swept in the process in the first round. Despite the disappointing first round exit, it was just the second playoff appearance in the last six seasons for Calgary, so there are positives to be taken from it.
Going forward, the fans of Scottiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Ontario, Canada will be expecting increased success after the 2016-17 playoff birth. Calgary will look to improve on both sides of the ice, after being middle of the pack in both goals scored (14th) and goals against (15th) a year ago. Returning for the Flames is 23-year-old Johnny “Hockey” Gaudreau, who didn’t have as great of a year as most expected him to have. He finished atop the team in points (61) but had just 18 goals. For comparison, in 2015-16 Gaudreau had 30 goals and 78 points. Fellow youngster Sean Monahan returns as well, after a 27 goal, 31 assist campaign. With the mainstays of the offense returning, Calgary should have a positive year on the offensive end especially.