The Flames will need star rookie goalie Dustin Wolf to continue to give them a chance of succeeding, but it’s now on Calgary’s veterans – center Nazem Kadri, left winger Jonathan Huberdeau, and blueliners MacKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson – to do the heavy lifting and outlast the Flames’ competition.

While seven Eastern Conference NHL teams are within six points behind a wild-card spot, only two clubs in the West can say the same. How could that affect the trade deadline?

Flames: Kadri was sent flying by a heavy open-ice hit from defenceman Elias Pettersson midway through the first. Four minutes later, Kadri got his revenge when he split the Canucks defence — including Pettersson — and scored on a pretty deke.

With the National Hockey League’s trade deadline officially behind us, focus now shifts to the playoff race and the bid for those final wild-card slots. Travis Yost has more.