'WE'RE A VERY CONFIDENT TEAM'

DALLAS - It seems, now, we can drop the narrative about getting inside - to the 'tough areas' - and shooting from the prime locations.
Last night, the Flames did that, to the tune of 16 Grade-A opportunities at 5-on-5 and looking more like the talented, offensive powerhouse that won the division title this year.
But playoff hockey is all about inches. Positioning, puck battles and, yes, finishing, too.
It's why, after 180 minutes of this intense, opening-round series, every game could have gone either way.

"I think - and it sounds kind of crazy - but our accuracy in a lot of the stuff we do has to be better," said Head Coach Darryl Sutter. "It's one thing to shoot it, but it's another thing to score.
"There's a difference there.
"When you (talk) about the 'real estate' part of it, that means things are happening faster, or it's harder to get there.
"And you might have to do a better job with the puck."

If so much of the playoffs is about managing emotions and not letting the bigger picture get the best of you, it's fair to view these last two games as a 'growing pain' for a team low on postseason experience.
The smaller details add up to make a big difference. Mistakes, magnified. So, when the Flames woke up this morning and found themselves in a 2-1 series deficit thanks to a 4-2 defeat in Game 4, part of you wonders if they deserve better.
That's of little solace, mind you. 'Luck' has little to do with it at this time of year.
But the Flames don't have to reinvent the wheel here. A win tomorrow and they head back to the Stampede City with home ice in their hip pocket, and a chance to make a real statement in Game 5 at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
That's the type of swagger and confidence they have to have right now.
"We're not too tight at all," Sutter said. "Quite honestly, our guys ... They're in a good place. We're doing a lot of the things we've done all year, (but) we're not getting the results. But in a series, you've got to get results, or you run out of real estate. You (look at) last night, they score a powerplay goal and a 4-on-4 goal and that's the difference.
"It's a fine line and ultimately, everybody always wants to talk about your goal-scorers and that's fine, but it's got to be through your lineup.
"It's not just one player."
The Flames had their chances in Game 3, including a Johnny Gaudreau breakaway with three-and-a-half minutes to play in the third period. It was one of 12 shots and seven high-danger looks in the frame, but Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger held serve.
"Obviously, I would have liked to score there," Gaudreau said. "Two minutes left to tie the game there, but I had a lot of chances last night. Five, six shots. A couple were pretty Grade-A opportunities. I'm happy I'm getting those looks.
"I'll find the net eventually."
"At 2-1, we had probably the three, probably the best opportunities we've had all series. And they were saves," added Sutter, pointing to a stretch in the second period when the Flames tilted the ice in their favour.
"Big difference.
"You get a two-goal lead, that would be a big difference."
Linemate Matthew Tkachuk - who found himself in another, fiery fracas with John Klingberg on the opening shift - echoed those thoughts.
Saturday was the first, true high-event game of the series and the Flames created offence at a significantly higher rate than their regular-season average of 9.6 high-danger chances per game.
There's no code to be cracked. No manuals, or magic elixir to help explain it.
Bear down.
Finish.
That's all there is to it.

"We're a very confident team," Tkachuk said. "They've won two in a row; we won the first one. ... I mean, it's a series for a reason. I have more than enough belief in this group to know that we can come out of this. But we can't come out of this unless... We've got to win three, they've got to win two. That's just how it goes. We have to win tomorrow and get home-ice back. That's all that's on our mind."
Fortunately, the Flames have all the leadership they could ask for to help withstand the swells.
Anyone who's around this coach in any capacity knows the man is not easily bothered. Or, quite frankly … ever. He is - and has been - the steady hand of the Good Ship Calgary from the moment he arrived in March of last year.
Now, we're getting an up-close look at Sutter in the moments that matter most.
The moments that he's been training the team for, all season long.
"It's not easy. It's tough," said the two-time Cup winner. "It's tough to win a game. We have guys that have won one game, or something like that. They're early in their careers. Now they're learning how hard it is to try to win another one.
"And that would be a difference with our club, for sure. There's a group of guys that have been here for a long time that (weren't) sure if they would be able to sustain themselves in a series. Regardless of what the results are in a series, it's, 'Can you sustain yourself and win it?'
"That's important."