Yahoo Sports 
Flames close to Los Angeles knockout punch
The Calgary Flames had no chance, none. Mark Giordano’s surgery on his torn biceps destroyed Calgary’s playoff hopes. He was one of the few guys on the roster whose success wasn’t all smoke and mirrors.
At the time of Giordano’s injury, Johnny Gaudreau had played more seasonal hockey than he had in his career and a letdown was inevitable. A slide was definite especially with the Kings doing their whole end of season rise thing. And then the Flames kept winning. Gaudreau got hot. Sean Monahan ended up with 30 goals. Jiri Hudler became a point-per-game player. And now we’re at the point where Calgary could clinch the postseason Thursday night with any winning scenario against the Kings at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Los Angeles – Homer Simpson is coming for you in the Playoff Death Watch.
The Kings have 93 points with two games left. The Flames have 95 points with two games left and hold the last Pacific Division playoff spot. Translation: If you’re the Flames, win and you’re in. If you’re the Kings, lose in regulation and you’re done. Win and you have a chance. Lose in overtime or a shootout and you need more help. Winnipeg (the last Wild Card team in the Western Conference) has 96 points and plays Colorado on Thursday night.
The Flames have gone 11-4-3 from March, onward.
Said Flames coach Bob Hartley to the Calgary Sun:
“Our players deserve to be in this position. I don't want to be sarcastic, but if we would have gone with many of your predictions, we could have spent the winter in Punta Cana or something like this. We didn't have too many chances. There was not too many reasons to play those games. But we went our way and right now we're putting ourselves in a situation to move onto the next dance.”
Why did we not give the Flames a chance? Because they’ve made the playoffs once this decade. Because their puck possession numbers are terrible? Because LA’s are great from top to bottom? Well, all of that won’t matter Thursday night if Calgary can eek out a win over the defending Stanley Cup champs. The Kings could be the first team since the 2006-07 Carolina Hurricanes to win it all one year then not make the playoffs the next.
Said Kings coach Darryl Sutter via LA Kings Insider:
You’ve just got to win a game. You know what? And you know it, a lot of the questions that get asked, you’ve got to win a game. It’s got nothing to do with anything else. That’s all. [Reporter: It doesn’t matter how you got to this position.] Yeah, it really doesn’t matter. You could say we should’ve had a hundred points if we’d have won more shootouts. You could say lots of different things. It’s just about winning a game. I’m not one way or another about it.
A man of simple tastes and realizations he is.
And interestingly, it’s former Ducks goaltender Jonas Hiller who can oust the Kings.
What would Jonas Hiller have said if someone told him on, say Oct. 1, that a playoff spot might come down to the Kings and Calgary Flames in the second-to-last game of the regular season?
"I thought he was probably crazy or whatever," Hiller said.
The Flames goalie paused.
"I was hoping he would tell the truth," he said. "Now being here and having that chance, having it in our own hands to qualify for the playoffs is definitely something. It was a goal. But how realistic it was … at the end, you always believe in it."
The Kings are the top puck possession team 5-on-5 in the NHL according to Puckalytics in regards to CF%. They’ve mastered the art of beating down opponents and still losing games. The Flames are the third-worst in the NHL in the same category. They get beat down and win.
For one night, none of this may matter. It’s all about that one very important number in the win/loss column.
- - - - - - -
Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
MORE FROM YAHOO HOCKEY