{"id":519790,"date":"2026-03-24T06:43:23","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T06:43:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/519790\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T06:43:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T06:43:23","slug":"flames-win-three-in-a-row-and-that-should-be-celebrated-despite-impact-on-nhl-draft-lottery-odds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/519790\/","title":{"rendered":"Flames win three in a row \u2014 and that should be celebrated despite impact on NHL Draft lottery odds"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the first time in 2026, the Calgary Flames<\/a> have won three games in a row.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re playing fun hockey, scoring goals, getting great goaltending and generally looking like the type of team that\u2019s easy for fans to get behind.<\/p>\n

The elephant in the room, though, is that there\u2019s a large segment of their fanbase who might be enjoying the entertaining hockey that\u2019s being played but would prefer that the Flames start losing.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not a mentality that will ever, ever be adopted inside the Saddledome itself. They should not and will not do anything other than try to go out and win every game. That needs to be said emphatically.<\/p>\n

There are a lot of fans, though, who are looking at the NHL Draft in June and dreaming of what it would look like if the Flames managed to snag a potential superstar-in-waiting like Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg. The more the Flames lose, the better the chances the draft lottery will go their way and they land one of those guys.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll allow Ryan Strome to explain why that\u2019s simply not how the organization should be thinking.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been through it before and it\u2019s really, really hard to just snap your fingers and become a winning hockey team,\u201d said Strome, who scored the overtime winner in Sunday\u2019s 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Dome. \u201cIf you throw these games away and you don\u2019t compete, you don\u2019t play hard, those habits leak into next year.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of a sudden, you have a group that thinks, \u2018OK, it\u2019s time to start winning,\u2019 and you don\u2019t have the characteristics, you don\u2019t have the qualities and that leadership and those things that it takes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Flames defenceman Joel Hanley looks to clear the puck away from Lightning forward Anthony Cirelli during Sunday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

When the Flames traded Rasmus Andersson in January and then moved MacKenzie Weegar and Nazem Kadri right before the trade deadline earlier this month, many expected them to sink like a rock in the standings.<\/p>\n

Instead, they\u2019ve gone 5-4 since the deadline. Sunday\u2019s win saw them jump from second-last to fourth-last in the NHL standings. They\u2019re tied on points with the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers but ahead of both because of regulation wins.<\/p>\n

Yes, that means that as of Sunday night, their lottery odds were worse than they were earlier in the day.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s a lot of hockey left to be played this season against some very good teams. There will be wins and losses ahead, it would be dangerous to start cheering when the Flames dropped points and refusing to celebrate when they succeed.<\/p>\n

Look at Sunday\u2019s game. Tyson Gross got his first ever NHL start for his hometown team. Hunter Brzustewicz fully saved a goal when goalie Devin Cooley was beat and recorded an assist, too. Zayne Parekh<\/a> played big minutes and Matvei Gridin did exceptional work setting up Strome\u2019s winner.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a group of young players getting meaningful ice time and excelling with it. That has real value for the rebuild. Isn\u2019t it what fans were begging for only a short while ago?<\/p>\n

\u201cHypothetically, it would be great to have the first overall pick and you can guarantee that, but it\u2019s a team game,\u201d Strome elaborated. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of guys in here playing for jobs and playing for their life and that\u2019s important.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis team is trying to build a culture and a confidence moving forwards and having been a part of (rebuilds) before, I know that it\u2019s a huge piece of it. It\u2019s very, very hard in this league to snap your fingers and show up and make the playoffs. The traits we\u2019re showing now are great things that will bleed into next season.\u201d<\/p>\n

daustin@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n

www.twitter.com\/DannyAustin_9<\/a><\/p>\n