TEMPE, Az. – The players talk about the important role veteran leadership will have to play if the Calgary Flames are going to stay in this playoff race.
On Wednesday, the kids were the difference.
In the most important period of the season, it was Jakob Pelletier and Walker Duehr who stepped up to be heroes, snapping a 3-3 tie at Mullett Arena with consecutive goals that injected life into a playoff push seemingly on the brink.
“We were talking in here (after the second period) and said the same thing, ‘our season is on the line here,’” said Elias Lindholm following a crucial 6-3 win over Arizona.
“This,” added Duehr, “was the biggest period of the year, that third period.”
Pelletier called it a “do or die game” and celebrated his game winner accordingly.
“That’s just Pelts’ personality, right?” chuckled Duehr of his former Wranglers teammate, who punctuated his power play redirection with an animated celly that included another primal scream.
“He’s a fun guy to be around and when he scores that’s just his true self there.
“So, it’s cool to see for him.”
Duehr’s nifty backhand, roof-job in alone 20 seconds later was followed by a decidedly more reserved reaction.
“Maybe I was just surprised it went in for myself,” smiled the soft-spoken fourth liner who was recalled by the Flames Tuesday.
“I just remember I almost took out the ref there, so I was just trying not to hurt him.”
A lot has been made about the energy these two youngsters have provided for a veteran club that, at times, has perhaps gotten a tad stale.
But as coach Darryl Sutter pointed out, sprightliness alone isn’t enough.
“Energy’s one thing, but it’s the NHL,” said Sutter, whose club’s patience paid off with five unanswered goals.
“You can go out there with energy, doesn’t mean you can play. It’s the NHL, you’ve got to be able to play at a high level.
“We need our young guys to make some progress here this year.
“Said it in training camp, I’ll say it again. I’ll keep saying it. If you’re a top team, you need these young guys to take another step.”
On Wednesday, with so much on the line, they did, with both picking up a goal and an assist.
“(Duehr’s) pace and his speed makes a difference for our team, for sure,” added Sutter.
“We need (Pelletier) to produce. It’s very simple. We’re giving him really good opportunities to be a good player. Take advantage of it. (He’s) done a good job.”
Outshooting the Coyotes 38-9 after two periods, Pelletier’s second NHL goal broke the 3-3 tie five minutes into the third period by deftly tipping in a Noah Hanifin point blast on the power play.
Shuffled from the first to second power play unit for the game, Pelletier later picked up an assist on Mikael Backlund’s late power play goal by using his speed to make it all happen.
“If you want to win, you have to score goals, right?” said Pelletier, of the pressure to produce offensively.
“For me, to play with Naz(em Kadri) and Huby (Jonathan Huberdeau), I think for our line we’re going to have to produce more.
“For me, also, that was my 12th game tonight. It’s (nice) to be comfortable but I think it’s time to step up and score goals.”
Entering the game four points back of Minnesota for the final playoff spot in the west, Duehr made a pair of big plays to get the ball rolling for the Flames with a goal five minutes in he set up for Milan Lucic.
It set the tone for a night in which the Flames outshot Arizona 51-14.
Yet, midway through the second, it was 3-1 for the hosts, putting the lads in an uncomfortable spot to open a road trip that will only get tougher in Vegas Thursday and Denver Saturday.
“Even when we were down 3-1 there’s some nerves going on there and you’re thinking a lot,” said Lindholm, whose goal and assist gave him 500 points.
“But obviously we stuck with it and kept playing the same way and sooner or later they were going to go in. Overall we had a good game.”
Sutter insisted there was no panic despite the deficit that saw the Coyotes score three times on 8 shots against Dan Vladar.
“We were down on the scoreboard, but I can say that was about as far as that went,” said Sutter, who had ten players with three or more shots on goal and five who picked up two points.
“We won. We’ve been really good on the road all year and we were again tonight.”
A character comeback and an important win.
But it’s what this club does for an encore that has cost Flames fans sleep all season long.
Let’s see what the youngsters – and veterans – have in store Thursday when they’ll desperately try to win the franchise’s very first game in Vegas.
