And there's no better stage to scratch and claw for two more valuable points than on Hockey Night in Canada. Calgary's quest for the playoffs hits the national stage once again.
An opportunity to shine, under the brightest of spotlights.
Goaltender Dustin Wolf hit a milestone in Calgary's last outing - a 4-1 win over Anaheim Thursday night - but for the Calder Trophy hopeful, his 25th win of the season was just the latest collection of points in an important stretch run.
Even if the victory made him just the fifth American-born netminder to reach the 25-win mark in his rookie season, a list that includes NHL and national team stalwarts Tom Barrasso and Ryan Miller.
That’s pretty cool company to be in, but at the same time right now, we’re trying to fight for our lives," Wolf said Friday. "Our objective is to keep climbing.
"Certainly at some point, you’ll be able to reflect and say it’s pretty cool."
It's that type of all-business attitude that's gotten Wolf this far in his NHL career, and it's exactly the mindset the Flames need if they want to further close the gap on the Minnesota Wild - holders of that coveted second Wild Card spot - tonight.
Calgary sits five points back of Minnesota in the standings, but the Flames have two games in hand, one of which will be spent against a Golden Knights team Wolf says his group needs to be ready for.
Even though they haven't crossed paths with their Pacific Division rival in more than three months.
"It’s been a little while since we’ve played 'em. Right now, we have to stick to how we’re playing, getting pucks below their goal line, creating offence that way, off the fore-check," said Wolf. "They’re a good club, they’re top of the league in many statistics for a reason.
"We’ve got to be ready to come to play, ‘cause these two points are super, super critical. Obviously, we want to keep climbing to give ourselves a chance."
