Maple Leafs 4, Flames 2: Teams in the mirror are closer than they appear

The 2020–21 Calgary Flames are not very good. They lost 4-2 on Sunday at the hands of the playoff-bound Toronto Maple Leafs, further cementing their position in the NHL’s cellar.

After going a league-worst 2-8-0 in their last ten games, the Flames sit just five points ahead of Ottawa Senators in the North Division standings. Calgary possesses a bottom-10 goals differential (minus-19) and only three Western Conference teams have won fewer games.

If the NHL were to end its season today—which would probably be sensible, given the reality of the Vancouver Canucks’ horrifying COVID-19 situation—the Flames would finish 26th in the NHL with just 35 points in 39 games. With another Flames loss (and a…