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It’s stretches like these that make you appreciate what a little veteran experience can do for a team.

When the Calgary Flames brought in Blake Coleman in free agency back in 2021, his ability to raise his game in high-stakes moments was a big selling point for the team.

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When they signed Nazem Kadri a year later, his experience raising his game during the Colorado Avalanche’s Stanley Cup run was a motivating factor, too.

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And as the Flames have won four games in a row, reinvigorating their playoff push over the past week and a half, it’s no surprise that those two have tended to pop up with big plays in big moments.

“It becomes big-boy hockey now, and they understand that,” said Flames head coach Ryan Huska. “There’s a different way the game is played and it’s harder along the walls, harder at the net-front. Sometimes a younger player has to see and be put in those situations to get that experience, where the older guys have done it before.

“Kads has won a Stanley Cup, Coleman has won two Stanley Cups, he understands that even at that level there’s significant difference. You see them raise it at this time of the year because they know the stakes are a lot higher.”

It isn’t just Kadri and Coleman who are contributing at big times. Not by a long shot. The Flames have a score-by-committee approach and rely on every guy on the roster.

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But much of the conversation surrounding the squad since the start of the season — trade speculation notwithstanding — has focused on the integration of younger players onto the roster.

Connor Zary and Martin Pospisil are still contributing, but it’s no knock on them to point out that the guys in their 30s have been leading the way recently.

“I think when games get tight and the games get close, they’re starting to really rise to the occasion,” Zary said about his older teammates. “You notice that especially when games get tighter and closer, you really rely on those guys and they’re coming through.

“That’s what we need. We need those guys to lead us and they’ve been great all year.”

Over the past four games, it’s been particularly true.

Kadri’s scored four times and added two assists as the Flames have downed four formidable opponents. Jonathan Huberdeau has continued his recent hot streak, adding five points, while Coleman has three goals.

Without just listing off every veteran’s stats, it’s worth noting that Mikael Backlund, Andrew Mangiapane and Noah Hanifin have all come up with important contributions, too.

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Like when the Flames fell behind 3-1 to the Winnipeg Jets on Feb. 19. The Flames could have accepted their fate, but instead goals from Coleman, Huberdeau, Mangiapane and Kadri saw them earn a momentum-shifting 6-3 win.

That set them off on their current four-game streak that’s seen Kadri score an overtime winner against the Boston Bruins and then Mangiapane and Coleman respond quickly after the Kings took the lead on Tuesday night, setting the Flames on the path to their 4-2 victory.

In important moments, the veterans have stepped up.

Just like you’d hope they would.

“I always respected the guys that kind of elevated when it was time,” Kadri said. “I kind of learned that through my process and experience. That was motivating for me as a kid, watching certain guys elevate.”

As for the Flames’ current youngsters, it certainly doesn’t hurt them to see established veterans raise their games. Huska often talks about how the game speeds up as the NHL season progresses and that can be an adjustment for young players who haven’t been through it before.

For guys like Pospisil and Zary, all they have to do is follow the examples being set by their more experienced teammates.

“You build off that, you feed off that,” Zary said about Backlund. “You see him doing those little things and the little details and not just him specifically, I’m just using him as an example, but I think those things go a long way for a young guy who is trying to find his game every night.”

daustin@postmedia.com

X: @DannyAustin_9

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