'I'm A Positive Guy'

EAST MEADOW, N.Y. – The vibes aren't the only immaculate thing stirring around these parts.

The charming dance moves from the Flames’ newest recruit have a little ‘sway,’ too.

Twitter user @BrilliantOranje calls it 'The Yakutsk Shuffle’ – a meme-worthy, back-and-forth number named in honour of the winger’s Russian hometown. It debuted following Thursday’s win over the Devils and Andrew Mangiapane was given a front-row seat to it all as the team celebrated their 5-3 triumph.

If wasn’t already, that viral moment behind the scenes is making it painfully clear now: Andrei Kuzmenko is an absolute riot.

“I don't know if it help. Maybe it not help,” Kuzmenko laughed of his antics bringing levity to his new troupe, now winners of three straight.

“Maybe after one week the guys will say, 'Kuzy, can you please slow down? Can you please be quiet?' (laughs).

“What can I say? I’m a positive guy and I want to give energy to this team, because I like these guys a lot. I like this game, I like these moment and I like my new my team in Calgary. It's been a good week and (there's been) great support for me.

“Enjoy this game. You have to. When I stop playing … you don't know, that could be tomorrow, that could be in two years. But whenever (that is), you have to look back and be happy that you got a chance to play in the NHL."

Kuzmenko, 28, captured the hearts of Flames fans everywhere following Tuesday’s win over the Bruins. Mikael Backlund awarded him with a game puck afterward, commemorating his debut in his new silks, along with his impressive first tally, which came in typical Kuzmenk-ian fashion – a terrifying snipe from the high slot that left smoke in its wake.

But it was the speech that followed that got everyone fired up.

And believing.

“Go to playoffs, let’s go!” he declared to the group, clearly striking a chord with everyone based on smiles, the cheers and the raucous round of applause that followed.

With Kuzmenko’s help, the Flames are certainly doing their best to make that happen. They’re now only one point out in the wild-card race after sweeping the first two on this four-game swing, and have a chance to make an even bigger dent with another pair in the Big Apple before returning home to the friendly confines next week.

“It was a short, but great speech,” Backlund grinned. “Wise words - and the boys loved it."

Indeed, the atmosphere around the team is as good as it’s ever been this this year.

They’re smiling, laughing, enjoying each other’s company. 

And most importantly, they’re rallying around each other and playing some of their best hockey thanks, in no small part, to that positive culture. 

“It can get heavy at times during the season,” said Head Coach Ryan Huska. “There's a lot of ups and downs. When you have a chance to step away and refresh and re-focus, that's one thing where guys come back energized. When you have new people coming into your dressing room as well, there's a renewed energy around. We've seen that. We had five new players in our lineup the other night and we've seen the bump from it. So, now the challenge is to keep that momentum going and keep pushing it forward in the right direction.”

Kuzmenko agrees. 

As fun as the past two games have been with his new family, the former 39-goal scorer left the rink, both times, feeling critical of his own performance.

Like most with that kind of shot – that gift – he’s wired a certain way. 

And he hates letting a good chance to go waste.

“They haven’t been great games,” he said, citing his two goals as simply an “OK” start offensively. “I have good chances but not a lot of score. I need to play better in the offensive zone because Huby and Shara are giving me chances.

“It's a big change from what it was in Vancouver. Different (system). Every day is work hard, work hard and I hope in a couple games, I'll come back to my form. It's a very interesting process to play for a new team and I think every day, it’s getting better.”

It’s admirable, really, to brush off your two snipes and immediately pinpoint areas of improvement. 

It’s why the ‘playoff’ messaging from the other night has resonated so well.

Kuzmenko isn’t here to simply pot a couple and languish aimlessly in the NHL’s mushy middle. He said it himself: He’s never played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs before and wants, badly, to make that long-awaited debut now.

What he said, he said from the heart. 

And for a player who seemingly never has a bad day, it’s clear he wears that part of him on his sleeve. 

“The new additions are goofy guys and they're fun to be around, and sometimes at this point in the year, you need a spark,” said Blake Coleman, who mimicked the playoff ‘rallying cry’ following Thursday’s victory in Jersey. “And these guys have brought it.

“(Kuzmenko) has definitely exceeded expectations in terms of how hard he works, he competes and wants to win and he obviously has the high-end skill to go with it. He's been a really great addition to our team and another one of those pieces that we've been missing to get us over the edge here. 

“If he keeps playing the way he is right now, he's going to help us win us a lot of games.”