Considering how the Flames have played since returning to action from their nine days off – part All-Star break, part mandated five-day break – and how they played in a similar timeframe last year, you’d be forgiven for, at the very least, being concerned. This is now two years in a row in which the Flames have been hot going into the break, only to come out of it ice cold.
The similarities do go a little deeper than just going from winning to losing, however. (Note that, in 2017-18, the start of the Flames’ decline can be traced back to their five-day break – the All-Star break came in between their fourth and fifth games returning from their initial break.