CALGARY — When we last saw the Calgary Flames, they carried a jumbo-sized chip on their shoulder to get within one point of a playoff spot.

The players’ fury over being counted out by most prognosticators last fall fuelled the team to a shocking 96-point effort that left them two points back of Cup-winning Florida, and five better than two playoff teams in the East.

A goal in the dying seconds of Minnesota’s last game meant Calgary lost the tiebreaker for the West’s final playoff spot, prompting Flames GM Craig Conroy to return almost the same up-and-coming team that finished 11-3-2 down the stretch.

Optimism in camp will be high.

Still, as MacKenzie Weegar revealed in a long chat, you can expect the ol’ us-against-the-world mentality as a chief motivator come puck drop.

“It’s just on

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