In a recent interview on Sportsnet's Tim and Sid show, Sam Bennett discussed last season's disappointing playoffs. After finishing at the top of the Western conference with 107 points, the Flames had to play the eighth seeded Colorado Avalanche. Many people immediately wrote the series off as an easy win for Calgary, however that didn't turn out to be the case. After a 4-0 win in game one, many thought the series was basically over. Colorado then went on to win the next four games to eliminate the Flames from the playoffs. When asked about what went wrong in last year's playoffs, Bennett said "We took our foot off the pedal for the last couple games of the season, and Colorado came out flying, and we were just a step behind in the majority of the games, and that ended up costing us."
Bennett thinks this will be a good learning experience for the Flames and that they will know what to expect for the upcoming season.
"Our team was unbelievable all year, we didn't show up at the right time and we're going to learn from that. I think everyone in the locker room still believes in each other and we're as confident as I've ever seen a team going in to training camp," Bennett told Tim and Sid when asked if he expected roster changes coming into the new season.
Bennett also discussed the acquisition of Milan Lucic from the Edmonton Oilers.
"He's a force out there, when he's playing hard and being physical he's intimidating out there. He's going to be a big help to our team."
After a disappointing stint with the Oilers, Lucic will be trying to get his game back and make an impact with his new team.
A big question mark regarding the Calgary Flames is Mathew Tkachuk's contract situation and if he will get a deal done before training camp gets underway. When asked if it is tough to begin training camp without a key piece to the line up like Tkachuk, Bennett said "I don't know if its tough, but obviously you want to have everyone in camp and getting ready together. But it is what it is, it's part of the business but I'm sure he'll get something worked out and we're just looking forward to having him back in Calgary. He's great to have in the locker room, but what he does on the ice, it's amazing. He's the best guy I've ever seen at getting under other players' skin and still being able to perform and do all of the other things that you need to have success. He's one of those guys that you hate to play against but love to have on your team."
-
