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Desperation mode: Flames ‘have to win’

Trevor Lewis scores versus Calgary

Dead last in the Western Conference and coming off consecutive losses by a combined score of 10-2, the Calgary Flames could really, really use a victory tonight in Los Angeles.

“We have to win,” Flames defenseman Mark Giordano said after Saturday’s 6-2 loss at the Staples Center, per the Calgary Herald.

“Time is running out quick here.”

Giordano’s right about that. One game shy of the halfway mark of its 48-game schedule, Calgary finds itself six points back of eighth place in the Western Conference.

And while Jarome Iginla trade rumors fly around like never before (which says a lot, because they’ve buzzed pretty loudly before), general manager Jay Feaster keeps insisting the organization won’t tear down and rebuild.

Feaster’s aggressive (and arguably reckless) pursuit of Colorado’s Ryan O’Reilly was consistent with the club’s goal of improving on the fly.

With just 25 games remaining, however, Calgary will need a remarkable finish to snap its three-season playoffs drought. Even if the Flames were a good team -- and the evidence suggests they are not -- it would be a tough challenge.

“We have to win,” said head coach Bob Hartley. “That’s the urgency we’re facing right now. There’s no denying about this. We’re not far from eighth spot, but at the same time, there’s so many teams stuck in that log-jam.

“We have to put a winning streak on.”