TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning have only two points less than the Calgary Flames, and yet their respective standings put a far greater urgency on Tampa Bay, which sits four points out of the final wild card in the Eastern Conference as the play host to Calgary, which entered Wednesday's games with the final playoff spot from the Western Conference.
Both teams are playing well -- the Lightning are 5-0-2 in their last seven, the Flames 6-2-1 in their last nine, and they'll need to continue that kind of surge to stay in postseason contention over the final 20-plus games of the season.