The Calgary Flames enter Wednesday night's game (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+) against the Buffalo Sabres as the top team in the Western Conference, stashing 30 wins in 47 games. Only the mighty Tampa Bay Lightning have a better record league-wide.
Sure, it helps when Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan have 27 and 25 goals, respectively. And yes, it's been nice to have Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk break out. Even the defense has been stout. But the real reason the Flames haven't fallen behind the Vegas Golden Knights or San Jose Sharks in the Pacific Division?