<p>The Calgary Flames sit in a spot where every point matters. And while securing one point in their final matchup of the season with the Edmonton OIlers is good, coming out with two points was ideal, as their chase for the playoffs continues.</p>
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<p>Flames captain Mikael Backlund spoke to the media following the 3-2 overtime loss and mentioned that not only was the team disappointed with not coming away with two points, but also giving a team like the Oilers any sense of momentum during the late stages isn&#8217;t a recipe for success.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s tough,&#8221; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YZHyf73WkE">Backlund said, via Flames TV</a>. &#8220;We gave them too much in the end. They got a little momentum after we scored the 2-1 goal. We need two points, and it&#8217;s frustrating that we couldn&#8217;t close this one out.&#8221;</p>
<p>The main culprit for Edmonton was Leon Draisaitl, who reached the 50-goal plateau for the fourth time in his 11-year NHL career. He finished with two goals and an assist, including the last two goals of the game for the Oilers and the overtime winner.</p>
<p>The Flames gave him too much room on both of the goals he scored, and Draisaitl made them pay, as he does to every team in the NHL.</p>
<p>&#8220;You&#8217;ve got to give him credit,&#8221; Backlund said. &#8220;He&#8217;s a good player. You could tell he was fresh coming back from his injury. He&#8217;s one of the best players [in the league]. He made some good plays, and that was unfortunately the difference tonight.&#8221;</p>
<p>Despite the l0ss, the Flames have to turn around quickly because their next opponent &#8212; the Colorado Avalanche &#8212; are just as star-studded as the Oilers, and they play just as fast. The Flames have already played the Avalanche twice this season and lost 4-2 in both games. Backlund addressed the team&#8217;s mindset heading into the match-up, declaring it their most important game of the season.</p>
<p>&#8220;[The thought process] is the same after every game now,&#8221; Backlund said. &#8220;We&#8217;ve got to move on. The next game is our biggest game. We&#8217;ve got to find a way to get two points against Colorado. That&#8217;s been our mindset the whole time here down the stretch. Every game is so important for us, so we&#8217;ve got to turn the page quickly.</p>
<p>Heading into Ball Arena following the overtime loss, the Flames need to find that extra gear to get one step closer to the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Avalanche are always a tough test for Calgary, but with some adjustments, they can come out of Denver with a win. But as Backlund said, it&#8217;s about coming in with a fresh mindset and focusing on the task at hand.</p>
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Calgary Flames center Mikael Backlund (11) waits to take a face-off to begin the second period against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena

The Calgary Flames sit in a spot where every point matters. And while securing one point in their final matchup of the season with the Edmonton OIlers is good, coming out with two points was ideal, as their chase for the playoffs continues.
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Flames captain Mikael Backlund spoke to the media following the 3-2 overtime loss and mentioned that not only was the team disappointed with not coming away with two points, but also giving a team like the Oilers any sense of momentum during the late stages isn't a recipe for success.

"It's tough," <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YZHyf73WkE">Backlund said, via Flames TV</a>. "We gave them too much in the end. They got a little momentum after we scored the 2-1 goal. We need two points, and it's frustrating that we couldn't close this one out."

The main culprit for Edmonton was Leon Draisaitl, who reached the 50-goal plateau for the fourth time in his 11-year NHL career. He finished with two goals and an assist, including the last two goals of the game for the Oilers and the overtime winner.

The Flames gave him too much room on both of the goals he scored, and Draisaitl made them pay, as he does to every team in the NHL.

"You've got to give him credit," Backlund said. "He's a good player. You could tell he was fresh coming back from his injury. He's one of the best players [in the league]. He made some good plays, and that was unfortunately the difference tonight."

Despite the l0ss, the Flames have to turn around quickly because their next opponent -- the Colorado Avalanche -- are just as star-studded as the Oilers, and they play just as fast. The Flames have already played the Avalanche twice this season and lost 4-2 in both games. Backlund addressed the team's mindset heading into the match-up, declaring it their most important game of the season.

"[The thought process] is the same after every game now," Backlund said. "We've got to move on. The next game is our biggest game. We've got to find a way to get two points against Colorado. That's been our mindset the whole time here down the stretch. Every game is so important for us, so we've got to turn the page quickly.

Heading into Ball Arena following the overtime loss, the Flames need to find that extra gear to get one step closer to the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Avalanche are always a tough test for Calgary, but with some adjustments, they can come out of Denver with a win. But as Backlund said, it's about coming in with a fresh mindset and focusing on the task at hand.

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Flames and captain Mikael Backlund focused on Avalanche following “frustrating” overtime loss to Oilers

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