January 10, 2013

The Flames plan to focus a little more on shootout success this year. (QMI Agency Files)

CALGARY - The Calgary Flames missed the playoffs last season by five points.

That handful of points added up to the difference between a shot at the Stanley Cup -- the Los Angeles Kings earned the eighth seed and went on to win the title -- and finishing ninth.

Had the Flames been a strong shootout team, they probably would have been in the second season, but they were a putrid 3-9 in games which reached the skills competition, the second-worst among the league's 30 squads.

In a 48-game season, expect that margin between success and failure to be even smaller.

Therefore, expect more emphasis on practising and preparing for showdown games worth the third point.