How do the Calgary Flames’ playoff chances look as of American Thanksgiving 2024?

American Thanksgiving has traditionally been cited in National Hockey League circles as when to start taking the standings seriously. More specifically, there’s a general trend that the playoff teams as of Thanksgiving tend to be the playoff teams at the end of the season – give or take a few.

As of Thanksgiving 2024, the Calgary Flames are, improbably, second in the Pacific Division and very much in a playoff spot. What does recent history, and the forecasts of several smart NHL analysts, tell us about their playoff chances?

Thanks to:
-The Globe & Mail’s David Shoalts for the origins of the Thanksgiving trend (https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/article-four-canadian-teams-sitting-pretty-as-of-the-us-thanksgiving/)
-The Athletic’s Dom L. (https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5834883/2024/11/28/nhl-standings-playoffs-projections-odds/)
-Hockey Viz (http://www.hockeyviz.com)
-Money Puck (https://moneypuck.com/predictions.htm)

Find more from me at FlamesNation.ca (https://flamesnation.ca/)! And for all kinds of great Flames-related content, check out the FlamesNation YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@Flames_Nation!)

Buy my book about the history of the Calgary Flames franchise at the NHL Draft! “On The Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Calgary Flames at the NHL Draft” (https://www.amazon.ca/Clock-Calgary-Flames-Behind-Scenes/dp/1637274009/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8)

3 comments

  3. they are not going to make it if they continue to suck against the bottom feeder teams like last year which is why they did not make it
    play great against top teams and look completely lost against the crappy ones those were the frustrating ones to watch for sure.
    after the sens and wings games looks like they are going to repeat last year

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