Sergei Belski – USA TODAY Sports
While he may not have lived up to the high expectations he faced entering the season, Calgary Flames forward Roman Cervenka has started scoring again as the season winds down. With the Flames now operating with a roster of mostly young players, Cervenka is getting more ice time and a chance to show the Flames that he wants to be a big part of their rebuilding process.
Cervenka had two goals in Tuesday’s loss to the Nashville Predators, and now has a three-game point streak. He also had a goal in Friday’s win over the Anaheim Ducks and an assist in last Monday’s loss to the Minnesota Wild. The two-goal effort was the second of the season for Cervenka, and it has been nice for the Flames to see him contribute consistently after a streaky start to the season.
This week’s efforts give Cervenka nine goals and 17 points for the season, which isn’t a horrible start to his career. He has only played 37 games, but his scoring totals rank him ninth on the Flames, ahead of center Mickael Backlund and defensemen Jay Bouwmeester and Mark Giordano. The fact that his nine goals are tied for the fifth-highest total on the team reflects how much the Flames have struggled this season, but with an infusion of young talent to build around they may not be a basement dweller for too long.
Carter Bancks became the latest player to make his NHL debut for the Flames when he took the ice Tuesday, and the roster shuffling now has Cervenka on the top line with Sven Baertschi and Max Reinhart. With two games remaining, that young trio will get a chance to impress, while Reinhart and Cervenka could see some additional time with the team’s power play unit.
Jonathan Katje is an NHL senior writer for Rant Sports. You can follow him on Twitter or add him to your circles on Google Plus.
