Flames Game No. 79 – I guess That’s Why They Call Them The Blues

So Daymond Langkow is back tonight. And that should tell you everything you need to know about how much this game matters to the team.

Well despite the Flames’ insistence that they’ll be trying super duper hard for all the one games remaining on the schedule until they’re mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, all evidence stands to the contrary. The insertion of Daymond Langkow into the lineup says, to me at least, that the Flames are officially running the white flag up the pole. It’s officially experimenting time. You don’t put a guy who literally hasn’t played competitive hockey in more than a year into the lineup without resigning yourself to the sad fact that the season is pretty much over.

And look, that’s even ignoring that the Blues just pumped 10 past the Red Wings, who are of course measurably better than the Flames in every conceivable way. That is also ignoring that the Blues return TJ Oshie, Alex Steen and someone else whose name I forget – and can’t be bothered to look up right now – to their lineup.

The Flames have officially called the season, and who can blame them? They’ve gone 3-5-2 in their last 10 when they’ve known every game was of the utmost importance. They’ve produced alarmingly few goals, allowed too many, and been on a remarkable run of bad luck between goals that bounced out from bend Jon Quick and been stowed away by Ryan Getzlaf. The whole season, from that opening day loss to Edmonton straight on through to tonight, really didn’t amount to anything worth mentioning. Anyone could’ve told you that in October.

Oh but hooray, Ales Kotalik got sent down. Big deal. Another failed experiment. Just like the 2010-11 season.

Enjoy the game. Thankfully there are only three left after tonight, and none of them matter even a little.