Things are nearing a critical point for the Coyotes, who get a few days off before traveling to Dallas for a Wednesday night game.

There are still 16 games to go, and it will take a sustained winning streak for a team that's three points out of the eighth position to get into the Western Conference playoffs. The good news should be that the Coyotes play eight more home games this month, but then again, this is not a team that has been dominant on home ice.

Captain Shane Doan said the team needs to get more aggressive on the forecheck and has to be hungrier.

That especially applies to the early going of a game, where the Coyotes have run into a lot of trouble with slow starts.

What could come into play during the stretch run as the Coyotes try to make the playoffs for the first time in five seasons is the lack of an enforcer. Rookie Daniel Carcillo reinjured his knee on Thursday and will miss at least two weeks.

FLAMES 3, COYOTES 1: Calgary scored twice in less than six minutes of the first period, and the Coyotes never recovered. RW Shane Doan scored the only goal for the Coyotes, with the assist from C Martin Hanzal, to cut the margin to 2-1 in the second period. G Ilya Bryzgalov, who had stopped 100 of 102 shots in his past three games, made 25 saves.

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