Flames hoping that playoff Sam Bennett is rearing his mustachioed head

In these uncertain times, as the NHL forges into an unprecedented postseason scenario, teams are aching for stability.

Something they can bank on. Someone they can lean on.

Near the top of the Calgary Flames’ list, no doubt, is this sturdy item.

Remember him? None other than the locals’ best — and easily most engaged — skater in last spring’s opening round. While many of his friends had appeared spooked by the stakes, by the intensity, Bennett thrived, leading the Flames in points and visibility.

Now it appears old No. 93 is back.

Despite a 12-point regular season, Bennett looks springtime fresh — which is to say, in this recalibrated hockey layout, playoff-ready.

In Sunday’s scrimmage at the Saddledome, he centred the strongest line, with flankers Milan Lucic and Dillon Dubé. And Tuesday — even with that unit’s regular pivot, Derek Ryan, ready for deployment — Bennett stayed in the middle of what is the team’s third line.

“It’s really nice to get some real competitive play,” he said. “I think we’ve all been craving it for the last couple of months.”

In Bennett’s case, you take him at his word on that. In his memorable postseason display against the Colorado Avalanche — with juice and without much ice time — he registered five points, equalling the combined output of the first line. For good measure, he dished out 25 hits and won seven of 10 draws.

“He’s got a history of being a good playoff performer,” Geoff Ward said, the associate coach last year. “We don’t expect it’ll be any different this time around. He’s a guy that takes an awful lot of pride in being able to play well at this time of year and his history shows that he follows through with it.”

(Gerry Thomas / NHLI via Getty Images)

Following the intrasquad game, Bennett had been asked, for not the first time, to explain his notable playoff purpose. Through his red beard and black mask, the 24-year-old said: “It’s a fun time to play. It’s easy to get up for games. It’s my style of game — really physical, really emotional — and that’s when I’m playing my best.”

It shows. And these days, while much is being made of the Flames’ 20-man lineup and which of the youngsters could possibly crack it, it’s a healthy internal feud that has begun to simmer.

The coveted roost — where Ryan was, where Bennett is.

“Whoever’s playing the best in that spot is going to go there — at least that’s how it should be,” Bennett said. “I do like (playing) centre — it’s where I’ve had my most success and where I play my best. Hopefully, I get the opportunity to play there. But it doesn’t always work out that way.”

None of this is anything Ryan takes personally.

An old hand, someone who built his career brick by brick, he isn’t sweating the battle. Pressure? Nope.

“This is the playoffs. Let’s be honest, the best players are going to play,” Ryan, 33, said. “Whatever the right combination that’s going to give us the best chance to win, that’s what I want, that’s what everybody wants. Whether that’s Benny there on a given day or myself … it’s good to have that competition.

“That’s just the way it is. That’s the nature of sports.”

Forwards

Team White

Johnny Gaudreau-Sean Monahan-Elias Lindholm
Zac Rinaldo-Mark Jankowski-Tobias Rieder
Alan Quine-Derek Ryan-Austin Czarnik

Team Red

Matthew Tkachuk-Mikael Backlund-Andrew Mangiapane
Milan Lucic-Sam Bennett-Dillon Dubé
Adam Ruzicka-Byron Froese-Buddy Robinson

Defencmen

Team White

Team Red

Goalies

Team White

Cam Talbot
Jon Gillies

Team Red

David Rittich
Artyom Zagidulin

Just like Sunday, the first 40 minutes was a basic scrimmage. Then, after a reshuffling of the lineups, the third period was devoted to a special-team brush-up.

Just like Sunday, David Rittich and Cam Talbot went the distance in net.

(Gerry Thomas / Calgary Flames)

Scoring even-strength — on Rittich — had been Zac Rinaldo, Elias Lindholm, Austin Czarnik. Talbot, meanwhile, was beaten by Byron Froese.

Over the final 20 minutes, Talbot surrendered a power-play marker to Rasmus Andersson, while Rittich gave up extra-man tallies to Matthew Tkachuk and Mark Giordano.

Talbot, through a pair of game-like scenarios, has been the sharpest of the two veterans. Ward, though, notes that more showings remain — Friday’s scrimmage, Tuesday’s friendly against the Edmonton Oilers.

Expecting Ward to tip his hand, even the slightest, regarding a starter for Game 1 of the qualifying round?

No chance.

“The work isn’t completed, but we’re building a book, for sure,” Ward said. “We’re not anywhere close to naming a guy. We’re only halfway through our exhibition schedule, so to speak. We’ll let the other games (playout), then we’ll sit down and make a decision.”

Even before camp opened, Ward suggested that health, more so than in any other year, is at a premium. Making it a key — perhaps the key — to success in the coming weeks.

In a snap, hockey-related injuries — and now, of course, positive coronavirus tests — can puncture a team’s roster, especially as it tries to fast-track to postseason readiness.

Already, the Flames lost, briefly, the services of centres Mikael Backlund and Ryan. Missing the opening five days of work had been forwards Dubé and Buddy Robinson.

Now, forwards Glenn Gawdin and Matthew Phillips have been declared “unable to participate.” Neither suited up on Tuesday. Elias Lindholm did dress — but departed well before the conclusion of the afternoon session.

Describing communication between staffers and players regarding medical issues as “daily and open and honest,” Ward has put his faith in the process.

“So we’re not worried about where Elias is at,” the coach said. “We just felt … he’d had enough. We’re not worried about it at all.”

Nevertheless, it’s a balancing act — building tempo, yet staying sound.

“We’re trying to toe that line where you want to be in the best shape possible but you don’t want to be tired come the real games, right?” Ryan said. “I think the most important thing is to be in the best shape possible. If guys start going down with crazy injuries, I think you know you went too far.”

As camp progresses, members of the Flames have offered their two cents on the wrinkles of the 2020 showcase:

No fans on site

Talbot: “It’s just going to be a weird, eerie feeling. Echoes throughout the building every time the puck hits the boards or goes off a shinpad. You’re going to be able to hear all those little things. If anything, it might make it easier for goalies to pick up the puck and know exactly where it is on the ice.”
Dubé: “Guys might come out even more intense (after) creating that energy from within. Usually, in playoffs, it gets created for you. Every guy’s going to get himself up even more. Even (in scrimmages), it didn’t matter. You couldn’t even tell there was no one there. You’re into the game, you’re into your own head and your own little world.”
Ward: “With no fans, it’s hard to pick up the pucks with the dark seats sometimes. That’s a good thing for us to learn before we get into serious competition. Because being able to pick up pucks off the glass is going to become a bigger thing than maybe people thought it was.”

Variety of start times

Dubé: “Early games are the best — just waking up and being able to go right to the rink, you can’t really overthink the game. It’s a very quick day and it makes it very exciting … (instead) of thinking about the game all day. It’s a lot of fun just to be able to go and play right away.”
Ward: “Once you get used to when those times are, it becomes like riding a bike. (From the Boston Bruins’ regular appearances on NBC’s Game of the Week, 12:30 on Sundays), players got used to it and really got to enjoy it. You get yourself up, you get into your morning game-day routine, you get to the rink, then you’ve got the rest of the day once you’ve played.”

(Top photo: Gerry Thomas/NHLI via Getty Images)