For Flames fans, the final month or so of this season was a mostly miserable slog to an inevitable playoff elimination. One positive and important trend emerged from that awful procession, though: Calgary’s new top line of Elias Lindholm, Matthew Tkachuk, and Johnny Gaudreau. The team’s three best forwards combined to form a consistently dangerous and productive line that also gives Flames fans something to look forward to next season.
The results
Head coach Darryl Sutter put his new top line together following an Apr. 5 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. It was the team’s eighth regulation loss in nine games and led into a previously unscheduled four-day practice break.