'THE STUFF YOU DREAM OF'

Come playoff time, you don't know what you don't know.
If there was one 'knock' on this group as the year went along, it was that the core of the roster had never gone deep enough to know the true toll.
"It takes a lot," Darryl Sutter said following Friday's Game 6 defeat. "Some guys are still learning how much it takes."
Now? With experience, comes knowledge - and with a half-dozen, hard-fought games in the books, that series-long storyline has led us here: Game 7.
Adversity can bring out the best in you.

"It's the stuff you dream of as a kid," said Matthew Tkachuk, who will play in his first-ever Game 7 tonight. "Just picture millions of times scoring that big goal or winning that big game, and it always revolved around Game 7.
"It's very cool that I get to play in one."

Game 7's pack an emotional punch. Milan Lucic equated it to "getting punched in the stomach" before running a big race in grade school.
That nervous energy is a good thing. It means you care and are willing to put your best foot forward, despite the weight of the moment crushing you from the outside.
But as critical as this game is - and it is, literally, one of the most important in franchise history - you have to have fun with it. These moments don't come along very often and the Flames have spent all year training for just this scenario.
"I think at the end of the day, you've got to play with the foundation that's been laid," said Tyler Toffoli. "You can't stray from what we've been doing all year. You've got to play the right way and do the things we talked about this morning. I know it's not going to be easy. This arena is going to be loud and everyone's going to be excited, but you have to stay calm and try to have as much fun as possible."

Sutter - the Jack Adams frontrunner - deserves a ton of credit for getting the Flames to this point and instilling that mindset. Yes, career years from Tkachuk, Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm and countless others helped pave to the way to a division title for the second time in three years but helping the players maximize their skill-set was, indeed, a crucial part of his endeavour.
But Sutter himself would happily tell you, it goes well beyond points and personal milestones. It's about building and then relying on that aforementioned "foundation."
It's why, when the Flames trailed this opening-round series 2-1 - and fell behind 2-0 in Friday's would-be clincher - there was no panic in the dressing room.
"He's as excited as we are," Toffoli said of his coach. "He's one of the more intense humans I've ever met, so he was ready to go this morning and he's going to have us ready to go."
Tonight, they'll have to lean on their schooling. They have to elevate and show that killer instinct that championship teams need.
Because the only crash course for a Game 7 is when the bullets fly for real.
"You get to Game 7 because you've done a lot of good things. And get you get to Game 7 because there's stuff you have to improve on," Sutter explained.
"I think (the players) are excited. They played all year and have done such a great job all year to get this opportunity."

The Flames will have plenty of experience and leadership to fall back on. Sutter has the best Game 7 record in NHL history at 7-3 - and, as of tonight, he'll have coached in the most, overall, surpassing Claude Julien, Mike Keenan and Mike Babcock.
They also have a slew of hardened vets, including Toffoli, Lucic, Trevor Lewis and Blake Coleman - all of whom have won Cups and have been to the Final (in Toffoli and Coleman's case) as recently as last year.
They'll be counted on to lead the way tonight.
"Those guys have helped all year and they're definitely going to be a big part of getting us ready for tonight," Tkachuk said.
"Pressure's good. Nervous energy is good. If you don't have that, you're going to come out flat.
"For myself, this is going to be the greatest atmosphere I've played in at any level. I'm expecting big things from the C of Red out there."

BLACK AND BLUE(LINE)

The Flames held an optional morning skate ahead of tonight's game. Chris Tanev - who left Game 6 with an undisclosed injury - did not participate.
An update on his condition was not made available.
"He's a warrior," Tkachuk said. "The way he works, the way he puts everything on the line each and every game. He's had an unbelievable year for us. I don't know what the deal is with him with tonight or anything, but he's played so well for us all year and is a guy who does everything. Blocked shots, PK's, never complains. Does all the work and is a leader behind the scenes, which is very important for us."

SEEING RED

The C of Red continues to amaze.
This morning, all 5,000 free tickets for the RED Lot were scooped up in under five minutes.

Your support means the world to the players and they can't help but get caught up in the buzz.
"It's been incredible," Tkachuk said of the fans. "I hope I can find a few more of those tickets for the RED Lot for my family. I'm sure they'll be OK there. It's been incredible, they've been incredible all year. I'm expecting big things from them tonight. They've made this place an unbelievable place to play - not only this year and these playoffs, but my whole career.
"I expect this will be the loudest and best atmosphere I've ever played in my life tonight."