CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS VS CALGARY FLAMES 12/31/2019 LIVE 9:00 PM ET

Playoffs already a focus as Blackhawks, Flames meet

Four victories in five games have moved the Chicago Blackhawks within five points of a Western Conference playoff spot as they approach the season's midway point.

The Calgary Flames, who currently hold the conference's final playoff spot, will play host to the Blackhawks on Tuesday night.

"We're obviously excited, but at the same time we can't get too high," Blackhawks forward Dylan Strome told the Chicago Tribune this week. "We seem to be doing that (thing) where we win a few in a row and we're sky high and then we don't come to play the next game. Yeah, it feels good, everyone's happy, but at the same time got to keep rolling. Can't just take our foot off the gas and expect we're going to do it every time."

Chicago, which will finish its road trip against the Vancouver Canucks, is coming off a comeback 3-2 shootout win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday. A pair of first-period goals left the Blackhawks down 2-0 going into the third period, but they responded to win for just the second time when trailing after 40 minutes. Both of those third-period comeback wins have come in their last two road games.

"Very good win," coach Jeremy Colliton said. "Didn't like our first period at all but I thought we found a way to respond in the second. It's not like we dominated the second but we played much better and had our chances and were able to stay in the game and give ourselves a chance to come back. I thought the third we were really good, kind of pushed and pushed and pushed."

The Flames lost 5-2 to Vancouver on Sunday after a dominating win over the Edmonton Oilers in the return from the holiday break.

"Sometimes the hardest one is after you have an emotional win like we did the other night," coach Geoff Ward said after his team laid an egg in the first outing of a three-game homestand. "The next one can be hard. But for us, we knew what was at stake tonight. We can't really use that as an excuse. We knew the game was big and they're breathing right down our neck in the standings. We knew we had to come in and be focused tonight and play. We just didn't get the start we wanted or needed."

The Flames have won only twice in their last seven games (2-4-1) and have dropped four straight at the Saddledome. Still, Calgary remains in the thick of the playoff hunt as the season's second half begins.

"The games that we're going, we're playing well," said forward Matthew Tkachuk, who was selected to partake in this year's All-Star Game in St. Louis. "Recently, we've had a lot of win one, lose one, win one, lose one. We've got to get out of that. We've lost a few in a row at home that we want to get out of. But in saying that, we're in a good spot. We're at the halfway point right now. It's right there for us to take."

Along with Tkachuk, Calgary captain Mark Giordano was named to the All-Star Game. Patrick Kane was selected from the Blackhawks.