Analyst Craig Button joined NHL Live from Toronto to discuss the recent surge of the Calgary Flames.
The Flames (21-27-7) entered their game Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens winners of five straight games for the first time since March 2012 and completed their first 5-0 homestand since 1997 with a 4-3 win against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.
Button believes the signing of center Matt Stajan to a four-year contract extension sent a message to the rest of the players that the organization was committed to building a winner.
"Then they started to score," Button said. "I think what you're seeing now is the maturation of Mikael Backlund. He's a really good two-way player. Now you have Matt Stajan who's scoring. You've got Mikael Backlund, who's able to play a real good, strong two-way game. The return of Mark Giordano really helps the defense and really helps the thrust of offense coming from the blue line. When you combine all those things together, I think that you'll find the Calgary Flames are in games and they're finding ways to win those games."
NHL.com is the official web site of the National Hockey League. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup, the Stanley Cup Playoffs logo, the Stanley Cup Final logo, Center Ice name and logo, NHL Conference logos, NHL Winter Classic name, and The Biggest Assist Happens Off The Ice are registered trademarks and Vintage Hockey word mark and logo, The Game Lives Where You Do, NHL Winter Classic logo, NHL Heritage Classic name and logo, NHL Stadium Series name and logo, NHL All-Star logo, NHL Face-Off name and logo, NHL. TV, NHL Premium, NHL After Dark, NHL GameCenter, NHL GameCenter LIVE, NHL Network name and logo, NHL Tonight name and logo, On The Fly, NHL Awards name and logo, NHL Draft name and logo, Hockey Fights Cancer, Because It's The Cup, NHL Green name and logo, NHL Vault, Hockey Is For Everyone, NHL Thanksgiving Showdown name and logo, NHL Centennial Classic name and logo, NHL Centennial Season logo, NHL100 Classic name and logo, NHL Global Series name and logo, NHL China Games name and logo, and Don't Miss A Moment are trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. © NHL 2018. All Rights Reserved. All NHL team jerseys customized with NHL players' names and numbers are officially licensed by the NHL and the NHLPA. The Zamboni word mark and configuration of the Zamboni ice resurfacing machine are registered trademarks of Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. © Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. 2018. All Rights Reserved. Any other third party trademarks or copyrights are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.