That's life in the North. You want to make up ground?
Great.
You'll have every opportunity to do it.
"You've got to have that belief," Noah Hanifin said of his team's ability to go on a run. "In a year like this where you're playing all the same teams over and over again, you have a lot of chances to make up ground - a lot of head-to-head, four-point games. So, the chance is definitely there.
"We've just got to capitalize.
"This series, three games against Winnipeg, this is huge for us and we've got to take advantage of it. Obviously, it's tough - it's been up and down this year, but you can't quit. There's always an opportunity to climb right back in and we're looking to do that this weekend."
With the idle Montreal Canadiens holding three - soon to be four - games in hand on the Flames, the playoff cut line is likely to be set somewhere in the neighbourhood of 65 points.
But the schedule, as we all know, is unique this year. While the challenge is that everyone around you is constantly picking up points, the head-to-head games could prove to be the great equalizer. The Flames have another four games left with the Habs, including a pair on home ice later in April.
For now, the Flames have to stay in the fight and win as many games as possible inbetween. And it all starts with a crucial, three-games-in-four-nights with the second-place Jets.
"The guys are excited," Hanifin said. "It's good to be back home and play on home ice.
"We know we've got a good opportunity this weekend. It's up to us to take advantage of it. We can't dwell on what's happened in the past. You've got to constantly move forward, whether you win or lose.
"I feel the guys in the room are ready for the weekend."
The Jets are coming off back-to-back victories over the Vancouver Canucks, outscoring their West-Coast opponents 9-1 in the process. That has them only two points back of the Toronto Maple Leafs for top spot in the division.
The Flames have played the Jets well this year and are 2-2-1 after five games.
So, this, too, is a great chance to prove your mettle and show to the rest of the North what you already know.
That you're not going away anytime soon.
"Winnipeg's a good team and they've got a lot of skilled forwards up front and they're really good off the rush," Hanifin said. "We have to make sure we're working hard, we're competing, we're coming back and playing in our structure and being in the right positions. As a defenceman, make sure you're gapped up and are closing quick. I think if we do those things, we'll limit some of their strengths as a team and hopefully we can have success.
"We're in a situation where need to do everything we can to crawl back in and we've got to play desperate and we've got to play hungry.
"Both teams are hard-working teams and it's going to be a battle every time we play them.
"I expect nothing else starting from puck drop tonight."
