from Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun,

Sutter is always thinking two or three steps ahead.

So with his squad perched atop the Pacific Division standings, surely there are some playoff ponderings between his ears, no?

Perhaps there was a hint of that after Wednesday’s practice, when Sutter suggested there is one thing for certain — if the Flames are still playing in early May, their first-round opponent will be favoured. Yeah, even though they have the inside track on securing home-ice advantage.

“You’re going to be an underdog, doesn’t matter. That’s a fact,” Sutter said. “Because you haven’t been a playoff team. As an organization, you’ve had zero success for a long time. So you’re going to be an underdog, whoever you play.”...

Since Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to the league-leading Colorado Avalanche at the Saddledome, he’s made several mentions to a sizeable gap between these two frontrunners. Not everyone sees it that way.

“You have to play Colorado as a wildcard, you get the (bleep) kicked out of you,” Sutter said Wednesday. “And I’m not interested in that. So you want to finish as high as you can. Once you’ve established yourself, where you have teen games left, that you’re in the race, then you try to stay in the race. Every night we don’t play, we lose ground. Every night.”

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