Calgary Flames: Everything you need to know before the playoffs begin

The Calgary Flames currently sit two points out of playoff contention, ahead of the Nashville Predators and behind the Winnipeg Jets. WIth the Jets struggling to get points lately, the Flames have a golden opportunity to take the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. The Flames need to find consistent scoring and goaltending before they do.

Here’s a look at where the Calgary Flames stand as they contend for the NHL playoffs:

Forwards

The Calgary Flames are badly missing Matthew Tkachuk this season. The Flames have only two players with more than 23 goals this season in Tyler Toffoli and Nazem Kadri. Neither of those names should be counted on for a majority of a team’s offense. All season, the Flames' forward group has been missing that central piece, a superstar with the scorer's ability that they can give the puck to.

There’s plenty of depth down the middle of the ice. When Nazem Kadri is your third-line center and Huberdeau is playing on the wing, that’s obvious. Wing depth? That’s another matter. There’s only one winger in the team’s top 13 in points this season.

Defensemen

This is the area where the Calgary Flames have shined this season. MacKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson are having career-best seasons with the Flames, and both hold a DPS well above four. Noah Hanifin and Nikita Zadorov have both been good as well.

Outside of the top four defensemen for the Flames, there's a big dropoff. The good news is that the only player who has frequently dealt with injuries this season has been Michael Stone, but otherwise, there’s not much depth to speak for if more players get injured.

Goalies

Jacob Markstrom just hasn’t been the same world-stopping goaltender that he was a year ago. He’s still good, but in a Western Conference filled with some of the best goaltenders in the NHL, good isn't enough. Markstrom owns a save percentage of .890, the lowest in his career since his last season with the Florida Panthers in 2014.

The Flames haven’t gotten consistency out of their backup either. Daniel Vladar has struggled to find a rhythm this season, as the Flames have started Markstrom for most games this season. Vladar’s numbers are better than Markstrom, with a .894 save percentage and a GAA of 2.87. Overall, the Flames need to be more consistent before sneaking into the playoffs.