Sutter's Flames getting repeatedly complimented by opposing coaches
Darryl Sutter has his Calgary Flames absolutely humming.Ā
No team in the National Hockey League is running hotter than the coach’s Flames, who have turned out an eight-game winning streak to launch themselves firmly into first place in Western Conference’s Pacific Division.Ā
And it hasn’t gone unnoticed.Ā
Calgary, who has outscored opponents 37-13 during their longest winning streak since a 10-gamer during the 2016-17 season, has the opposition noticing and tossing out some heavy descriptors, too.Ā
“Powerhouse.”
“For real.”
They’ve even been compared to Sutter’s Stanley Cup winning entries with the Los Angeles Kings.Ā
A whole damn mood. pic.twitter.com/o3QMTqnac2
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) February 17, 2022
All compliments from opposing coaches coming through Calgary.
All coming less than a week apart.Ā
“They’re a powerhouse team,” Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Brad Larsen said of the Flames after a 6-2 dismantling at the Saddledome on Tuesday. “And they’re adding to their group.Ā
“They’re big. They’re strong. They’ve got a good balance of veteran guys. It’s a pretty deep team. We can’t have anybody not on board in that game, not one, to stay with them for 60 (minutes). Those teams are deep. I think they’ve won six or seven in a row now. They’re rolling pretty good.”
“Your margin for error is very small.”
The Flames have scored four or more goals in seven straight and hold a three-point edge over the second-place Vegas Golden Knights with two games at hand.Ā
“Their structure, the way Darryl has them playing, they’ve got really good structure, and they defend really well,” started Barry Trotz, whose New York Islanders fell 5-2 to the Flames on Saturday.
“They’ve got some size on the back end, they’ve got some toughness, they’ve got a No. 1 line that’s really good. I think if you look at that Lindholm line, they stack up in terms of points and all that with the Marner, Tavares, Matthews line in Toronto. They’ve got two pretty good power plays. They’re meat and potatoes. They play a hard-grinding style of play.Ā
“They’re very similar to; I would say, the LA Kings team that Darryl had when they won the Cups. They’re very similar. They’re a big team that has a nice blend of high-end skill and good team toughness and really good goaltending.”
Slowing down that glorious win. pic.twitter.com/RpGKIChBeb
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) February 16, 2022
The group has won seven straight on home ice, too, outscoring opponents 41-10 in the process.Ā
“These guys are for real,” said Anaheim Ducks coach Dallas Eakins roughly a dozen hours after his team was squashed 6-2 by Sutter’s skaters.Ā
“When I look at their lineup, there’s not one guy who is slotted in the wrong spot. You look at different lineups and hey, that guy is probably playing too high in the lineup, they’re eventually going to have to do something. This lineup looks like a healthy one. Everyone’s slotted in the right place. These guys are for real.
“They are offensively off the wall and getting inside the other team, and then defensively they aren’t letting you in there. And it is start to finish. Teams are still going to get going offensively. Hey, they want to maybe grab some extra stats or an extra goal or whatever it is, but defensively they never stopped. This is a deep, deep team.Ā
“I think this is the best team on our side. They play an amazing team game, and they’re big and they’re mean. They check off a lot of boxes for me.”
Home sweet Dome. pic.twitter.com/tEXpM8D1TZ
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) February 16, 2022
Must be tough, with all the winning and all the compliments, to keep an even keel in the dressing room then.Ā
Right? Wrong.Ā
Not with Sutter at the helm.Ā
He’s not about to let the team feel too good about itself, or let bad habits creep in on an eight-game heater that has the Flames closer to Cup contenders than a club that’s going to limp into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.Ā
“Oh, I’m good at that,” Sutter said, sly smile included.Ā
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