Johnny Gaudreau flew home to handle a personal matter Sunday and will not play in the Flames' game against the Kings on Monday.
The team provided more information Monday stating that Gaudreau's father, Guy, was undergoing medical procedures back in New Jersey following a cardiac event on Sunday. The Flames added that Gaudreau will remain with his family "until further notice".
"We wish Johnny and his family all the best ... we are with them 100 percent."
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) March 26, 2018
- Glen Gulutzan, who stressed the importance of family within the Flames organization pic.twitter.com/Qdbu7kC7fr
Gaudreau is the latest key player the Flames will be without in the coming days. The team announced Friday that Sean Monahan and Kris Versteeg are both out for the remainder of the season with injuries. Matthew Tkachuk and TJ Brodie are also dealing with nagging upper-body injuries and neither traveled with Calgary on their two-game California road trip.
Head coach Glen Gulutzan said that the team is finding ways to stay motivated during the final stretch of the season despite the dismal obstacles that've been presented.
“We had a chat this morning about what we need to do here moving forward and kinda put, actually, some goals together," Gulutzan said Sunday. "I thought that it energized the group out in practice here. It’s been tough, there’s no question, with the injuries and now losing Johnny, our leading scorer. Our top three scorers are out but we think there’s a blueprint for us to get some points here.”
Playing deep into their reserve list, the Flames aren't mathematically eliminated from the playoffs but their odds have been shrinking. They're currently nine points out of the second Western Conference wild card spot and the loss of key players makes their chances even slimmer.
As the Flames stare adversity in the face at the tail end of the season, Gulutzan said his team had to find something to play for outside of the Stanley Cup.
"There’s lots of people questioning certainly us and our team. I’ll stand behind these guys. We’re playing for each other here in this group. We’re playing for pride and we’re playing not to be a spoiler, not to do anything," Gulutzan said.
"We looked at each other and each guy in that room has something at stake here, whether it be a contract for next year or looking to be a free agent or trying to continue to play on. Some guys are negotiating and our look was internal that we need to push to help each other here."
The Flames are riding a five-game losing streak heading into their Monday matchup with the Kings, who are nipping at the Blues' ankles for the second wild card spot.