To be honest, after the Florida 6-5 loss, I thought "this team isn't making the playoffs." They looked defensively lost, and despite scoring 5 goals weren't even THAT good offensively, and didn't find a way to get 2 points in a very winnable game.
Obviously I'm less sure now, but as you say it's not like they have been dominating. Put Hiller or Ramo in net last night and I'm not so sure that Calgary finds a way to win that game. On the other hand, the PP showed signs of life, Monahan is scoring and Backlund looks fantastic--these are all good signs.
I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm remaining even-keeled about this season. I think there are a ton of positives to build on next year, and yes--they may squeak into the playoffs. At the very least, it looks like they will be competitive until the final week of the season at this pace. Either way, the key takeaway is that this team has taken a huge step forward, and that's great news for next year.
It is interesting that Calgary's 1-point bulge on LA, with the same number of games played, translates to a 70% chance of making it in.
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