"No, not a lot of room,'' said Tkachuk. "But just enough. I had to bank it off his head. I dunno …
"Just close your eyes and shoot.
"I think it's the first time we've run that all year, that little over-the-top play.
"It worked, though."
After a middling first period, only memorable for Smith's reflex glove stop off a Doug Hamilton shot that nicked Coyotes' left winger Lawson Crouse en route, the home side began to raise the ante, turn up the tempo.
Smith was equal to every assault upon his net, though leaving the Flames, and Frolik in particular, shaking their heads - and actually trailing 1-0 - heading into the second intermission.
Early on Backlund had spied the versatile Czech winger making a beeline to the blue paint and from the side of the net, slid a lovely pass into his path. But Smith, stretching out, got a pad on the shot as Frolik attempted to go long-side.
Later, an even more luminous bit of Smith larceny at the expense of Frolik, flashing the leather to snare a one-timer from the high slot.
The Flames also began to up the physical ante, epitomized by Micheal Ferland's thundering rub-out of Oliver Ekman-Larsson along the boards, a foot or so inside the Calgary blueline.
The aftershock could be heard all the way in Okotoks.
Very much against the run of things, the Coyotes cashed in, via centre Tobias Reider, on a rare foray at Johnson.
Understanding that the absence of No. 13 makes the margin for error much smaller, the Flames continued to persevere.
"We're really been hammering that home here, finding ways for long term success,'' said Gulutzan. "Playing 50-50 hockey is what we're talking about the most here.
"Not everything is going to be a play. When it's 60-40, make your play. When it's 50-50 be content with getting down and playing a grind game and working things low to high. Just simple stuff.
"We don't want to add too many layers to the cake. Just keep it simple and play some good 50-50 hockey."
Understanding the way ahead only gets harder, and quickly - Chicago here Friday and then a six-games-in-nine-nights road odyssey - from both perception and self-confidence standpoints, the performance and result Wednesday were vitally important under the Johnny-less circumstances.
"It helps,'' agreed Gulutzan. "A lot. It helps in establishing an identity, how we need to win.
"Because we recognize that we lost a really good player. And now collectively we have to play a certain way to get ourselves in position to get points in this league.
"We look at it as something we can rally around and try to find a true identity here."