Flames' Treliving says team can't rely on late-game heroics this season

Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving is hoping some of the team's habits from last year go up in smoke.

The Flames reached the postseason for the first time in six years last season, and though they became known as a hardworking team, Treliving knows they can't rely on the late-game comebacks that became the club's trademark.

"We can't just say the recipe for this season is 'we're going to win a bunch of games by coming from behind in the third period. We're going to pull the goaltender eight times and score a tying goal in seven of them,'" Treliving told Sportsnet's Mark Spector. "There are a number of things there you can’t rely on duplicating. We’re not saying we have to retrace our footprints from last season. We have to get better."

Treliving said relying on comebacks is a dangerous way to play, claiming that it's not sustainable and will eventually result in losses.

"Any type of predictability (analysis) will tell you that you can’t continue to trail and expect to have successful outcomes," Treliving said. "We've looked at it seven ways to Sunday. We can’t continue to dig holes, and consider a victory when we work … fill the hole back in. That just doesn't win."