Could the Flames sustain their lopsided ice-time distribution during a deep playoff run?

One major storyline from the Calgary Flames’ Game 1 Qualifying Round victory against the Winnipeg Jets concerned their fourth-liners’ ice-time. Seven penalties issued over the course of the game translated to 12 and 11 shorthanded shifts for Derek Ryan and Tobias Rieder respectively. Each of them logged nearly six minutes of ice-time on the penalty kill alone.

Come the Flames’ loss in Game 2 though, the discourse on the fourth-line shifted. Folks online noted that Ryan, Rieder, and heavyweight Zac Rinaldo barely skated all game—Ryan had 15 total shifts (all situations), Rieder registered 14, and Rinaldo posted a pitiful six. Without the boost guaranteed by their PK usage, Rieder and Ryan…