The Calgary Flames are in quite the tough spot right now. They lie 3 points out of the playoffs but have only 3 games remaining in comparison to the 5 that the teams ahead of them have. Making matters worse, these teams ahead of them are reigning Stanley Cup champs the Chicago Blackhawks and 2007 champs Anaheim Ducks.

As an avid Flames fan, I believe in a playoff birth, but does such a belief “fight the facts”? Let’s break it down.

The Western Conference bottom playoff standings look like so:

5. Los Angeles - 94 pts
6. Nashville - 94 
7. Anaheim - 93
8. Chicago - 92
9. Calgary - 89

Even if the Flames win their remaining three games, they are not guaranteed a playoff birth, the power is out of their hands. They are relying on a collapse from one of the four other teams, primarily the Blackhawks or Ducks.

Why the DUCKS could collapse:
NO real goaltending, Emery had a couple good runs here and there, but he is physically debilitated from the same hip injury that put the legendary RB Bo Jackson out of commission and not to mention a bit of a head case.

Why the BLACKHAWKS could collapse:
These last few games will emulate playoff hockey and let’s be honest, this isn’t the same squad that went all the way 12 months ago. They’ve seriously fire-saled their grit, depth, and goaltending in order to keep their snipers. A young Corey Crawford can’t finish with 5 straight and their number one goal scorer Patrick Sharp? Out for the season.

Why the FLAMES will finish strong:
Calgary’s last 3 games are against…
1. The Avalanche - a Western Conference bottom feeder not avid on spoiling their draft pick
2. The Oilers - same as above
3. The Canucks - their arch-rival, who have admittedly displayed a superior regular season, but with a clinched President’s trophy have no real motivation to spill blood and guts on the rink in their last game. I’ll give the advantage to the Flames.

Yes, even as a biased fan, the chances of all things falling into place are slim, but god damn it we can dream!

the OhCheese! odds of Calgary making the playoffs: 1/6