Flames Face Leafs and Senators as Ward, Tkachuk, Markstrom and Monahan Questions Mount

The Calgary Flames are headed to Ontario for a stretch of five games in a week and change, and they are going in on a three-game losing streak. The first stop is Toronto, where the North Division-leading Maple Leafs wait. The second is Ottawa, where the last-place Senators are short on talent but long on work rate. The trip follows a lopsided Saturday loss in Edmonton, the second blowout in four nights.

Columnist Wes Gilbertson frames the week as three things known and three unknown. The first known is that the blame cannot all land on coach Geoff Ward. Ward has been a popular target for a frustrated fan base, and Gilbertson concedes some of it is fair. The Flames have given up the first goal in 12 of their 18 games, and too often that has grown into a 2-0 hole. Ward also keeps tinkering with his forward lines without finding chemistry. But Gilbertson notes that inconsistency has dogged the Saddledome for years under several coaches, so pinning it all on Ward lets a lot of others off the hook.

The second known concerns Matthew Tkachuk. Before the Edmonton game he took ownership of his underwhelming play, saying he could give more offence and more emotion and that he was putting basically all the pressure on himself to turn things around. Gilbertson calls it an impressive show of leadership but says Tkachuk missed on two points. He cannot fix this alone, with so many teammates needing to be better. And Tkachuk said people close to him told him everybody wants him gone, which Gilbertson says is hardly the case. Fans have wondered why he hasn't looked like himself, not wanted him out.

The third known is that goaltender Jacob Markstrom will be fine. The 30-year-old free-agent signing has allowed five goals in each of his last two starts and was pulled both times. In Wednesday's loss to Vancouver he wandered far out of his crease on a poke-check attempt and paid twice, once physically and once through the game-winning goal. Then came Connor McDavid's big night in Edmonton. Gilbertson expects Markstrom to bounce back, and says backup David Rittich, whose best start of the season was sandwiched between two relief calls, should find his groove too.

On the unknown side, the biggest question is what is wrong. Gilbertson says it must be keeping general manager Brad Treliving, Ward and others up at night. It is not too late to rescue the season, since every game is a four-pointer against a divisional foe, but the slump cannot run much longer. On Sportsnet 960 The Fan before Saturday's game, Ward said the group needs to get sick and tired of losing, and that once they stop making excuses they will find a way to win.

The second unknown is whether anyone can stop Auston Matthews. The 23-year-old has 18 goals in 18 games, including seven on the power play. Johnny Gaudreau, whose shooting has drawn plenty of praise, has exactly half that. Matthews is a daunting assignment for a team that has been giving up too many Grade A chances, McDavid's night being the latest example. Gilbertson says discipline will matter, since staying out of the penalty box at Scotiabank Arena is the most direct way to limit him.

The third unknown is the status of centre Sean Monahan, who has missed consecutive games with a lower-body injury. The official word is only day-to-day. He has just two goals in 16 games but ranks second on the team with 10 assists, several on Gaudreau goals. With Derek Ryan out with a fractured finger and Sam Bennett in and out of the doghouse, the Flames' depth at centre is being tested. How soon Monahan returns, and whether the slump ends in Toronto and Ottawa, are the things to watch.