I think it's pretty brutal for the Flames. After the Isles game, we wait 5 days to play our next game and then Vancouver the next night to start our 5 game road trip. We do however have to wait another 5 days to our 2nd road game. One more huge break, we wait 6 days for the Flames to come back from California and go back on a home stand against Buffalo. I do not like these long breaks, though the break from the 21st to the 27th is understandable because that is the All Star break.
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Looks like a really average month to me. What's brutal? 7/11 are against playoff teams, but only 3 of those are in the top ten in the NHL right now. California isn't a scary as going through Chicago/Nashville anymore. Two teams in the bottom 3 on the league.
Seems ok, not too hectic with only one back to back. I'm gonna say they go 5-3-3
The breaks are good. The team hasn't really had any significant breaks through the first three months of the season (other than Christmas). 8 games over the next 26 days will give the team a nice rest and also give the other teams a chance to make up those games-in-hand that everyone seems to have on the Flames.
We'll have a good idea of where the team stands by the end of the month.
I predict we'll finally see wins in Vancouver and Anaheim after way too long without one in either city.
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Turn up the good, turn down the suck!
First off love the two breaks, would rather get those games in hand from Vancouver and Minnesota caught up so the standings have less caveats and more hard fact.
That's a tough month for sure. The Flames are no longer a top ten team, they're a 13-18 team so any playoff teams could give them trouble.
March 2nd is the trade deadline so back to back tough months will really be interesting as the team will have to decide if they're in, all in, or sellers.
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If the Flames go 5-5-1 on the Month, I think that is OK. Anything less, could hamper their playoff chances. Anything more, is awesome. They could easily win 7 or 8 games in January, and they could very well lose them too. Flames are having such an interesting season. Winning a bunch in a row, then losing 8, now winning 4 and putting themselves back in the picture. Obviously the long losing streak can not happen again if the playoffs are a possibility.
My prediction. Flames go 8-3. They will win a few that are surprising, which they have done all year. There is just something about this team that has a winning feel to it every night. There never out of it. Even during the long losing streak, they could have easily won a few of those games with a break.
If the Flames go 5-5-1 on the Month, I think that is OK. Anything less, could hamper their playoff chances. Anything more, is awesome. They could easily win 7 or 8 games in January, and they could very well lose them too. Flames are having such an interesting season. Winning a bunch in a row, then losing 8, now winning 4 and putting themselves back in the picture. Obviously the long losing streak can not happen again if the playoffs are a possibility.
My prediction. Flames go 8-3. They will win a few that are surprising, which they have done all year. There is just something about this team that has a winning feel to it every night. There never out of it. Even during the long losing streak, they could have easily won a few of those games with a break.
5-5-1 would actually put is a bit too far behind IMO. We'd be 26-20-4, meaning we'd have to get 40 points in the final 32 games and likely be behind 3-4 teams to get to the wild card spot.
January Outlook
