CALGARY - Bob Hartley has experienced tough starts as a coach in the past and he鈥檚 confident the Calgary Flames have what it takes to improve upon their 1-3-2 record.
On Monday, he recalled that when he broke into the NHL as head coach of the Colorado Avalanche in 1998-'99, his team bounced back after a sluggish start.
鈥淢y first year in Colorado we were 2-5 and we made it to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup semifinals,鈥� Hartley said. 鈥淟ast year in Zurich we were 5-8 and we won the championship.
鈥淭here鈥檚 plenty of examples like this.鈥�
Hartley guided the ZSC Lions to a Swiss League title last season before being hired to coach the Flames in late May.
His Calgary side is coming off a disappointing 3-2 shootout loss at home to the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night. The Flames now head out on a three-game road trip starting in Detroit on Tuesday.
It will be forward Jiri Hudler's first game back at Joe Louis Arena since signing as a free agent with the Flames in the off-season.
鈥淥bviously I want to win so bad,鈥� said Hudler, who has five points in three games this season. 鈥淔irst time going back, I鈥檝e got a lot of good friends there and it鈥檚 going to be a lot of fun, but at the same time we need the points.鈥�
Hartley commended his players for a fine performance against Chicago. The Flames were dominant at times against the league-leading Blackhawks (7-0-2), who stole the victory thanks to a 45-save performance by goalie Ray Emery and a clutch shootout goal by Chicago captain Patrick Kane.
鈥淲e鈥檙e doing some good things,鈥� Hartley said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e building on a good foundation. I would like to see our guys getting rewarded because I think that they deserve better.鈥�
Hartley believes the Flames will have momentum on their side following Saturday鈥檚 performance against the Blackhawks.
鈥淲e鈥檙e right there and I feel that we鈥檙e showing progress,鈥� Hartley said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a good building block for us, but at the same time, we need to cash in on our chances and rack up some wins.鈥�
Defenceman Mark Giordano said that he and his teammates came away from the shootout setback with confidence that they can compete against the top teams in the league.
鈥淲e鈥檝e done a lot of good things, but at the end of the day we have left some points on the table,鈥� Giordano said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e pretty happy actually after our last game. If we play like that and get those types of chances, we鈥檙e pretty sure we鈥檙e going to be OK on most nights.鈥�
For the Flames to rise in the standings, they鈥檒l need to get increased production from the likes of Jarome Iginla and Michael Cammalleri, who have yet to score through six games.
鈥淭o be honest, I鈥檝e had great chances,鈥� said Iginla. 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 felt bad in games. I thought I had great chances and could have had a bunch. It鈥檚 more magnified when it鈥檚 at the beginning of the year and we鈥檙e not winning.
鈥淵ou want to get going as far as you feel good when you do get that first one. When you break a tough streak, they seem to roll. We鈥檝e got to stay positive and keep thinking that the next one鈥檚 going to go in.鈥�
The Flames are last in the NHL's overall standings with four points after six games.
鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 feel good,鈥� said Cammalleri, who has just two assists this season. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not where you want to be. I鈥檇 like nothing more than for us to rally off 10 in a row and see where that puts us.鈥�
