Brewin Flames Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 2023–24 NHL team preview: Calgary Flames Mike Gould Aug 25, 2023 LAST SEASON What a nightmare the 2022–23 season was for the Calgary Flames. It couldn’t end soon enough for fans in Calgary, many of whom were glad to see the team part ways with veteran head coach Darryl Sutter very early in the offseason. In Sutter’s final season with the Flames, practically every forward on the team experienced a decline in productivity — especially Jonathan Huberdeau, who went from 115 points to just 55 in his first year after being traded by the Florida Panthers. The Flames have no choice but to gun for a playoff berth in 2023–24. Huberdeau’s eight-year extension is only just beginning, as is MacKenzie Weegar’s eight-year pact. Nazem Kadri and Jacob Markstrom have plenty of term remaining. This isn’t a team that can be torn down to the studs overnight. Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk are long gone, but the Flames almost snuck into the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs despite nearly everything going wrong. If a few things can swing back in their favor, maybe the Flames can return to relevance this year. KEY ADDITIONS & DEPARTURES Additions Yegor Sharangovich, LW Jordan Oesterle, D Departures Tyler Toffoli, RW (NJ) Milan Lucic, LW (BOS) Trevor Lewis, C (LA) Troy Stecher, D (ARI) Michael Stone, D (Retirement) Nick Ritchie, LW (UFA) Matthew Phillips, RW (WSH) OFFENSE Huberdeau might not be a 115-point scorer at this point, but he’s also unlikely to repeat his 55-point output from the 2022–23 season. The truth, as it so often does, probably lies somewhere in the middle. It’ll be up to new Flames head coach Ryan Huska to put Huberdeau in a position to succeed in his second season as a Flame. If all goes well, perhaps Huberdeau follows the path Joe Pavelski took when he arrived in Dallas, going from 31 points in his first year as a Star to around a point-per-game pace in the subsequent three seasons. For $10.5 million a year, Huberdeau simply needs to be better. Although this Flames offense might not be as potent as it has been in the past, there are still some formidable weapons here. Elias Lindholm is a strong two-way center with an excellent shot, although he’s entering the final year of his contract and the Flames have yet to sign him to an extension after a summer of talks. Nazem Kadri has plenty of term left on his deal, but he’ll turn 33 in October and has plenty to prove after struggling in the second half of last season. Mikael Backlund is a Selke Trophy-caliber defensive forward and a longtime alternate captain, but, like Lindholm, he’s a pending UFA who hasn’t exactly jumped at the opportunity to re-sign. Andrew Mangiapane, Dillon Dube, and Blake Coleman are all secondary players who can hold their own at both ends of the ice, with Mangiapane offering the most upside of the three. And then there’s new acquisition Yegor Sharangovich, who could slot in on Huberdeau’s opposite wing after coming over in the Tyler Toffoli trade with the New Jersey Devils. Sharangovich is a rangy winger with an excellent shot and he only just turned 25 in June. If he pops off in an increased role, the Flames might be able to deploy a legitimately dangerous top scoring line. DEFENSE If the Flames make the playoffs, it’ll probably be because of their defense. Weegar largely lived up to his end of the bargain in his first season as a Flame, offering a rock-steady presence on the blueline (even if, like many of his teammates, he struggled to score). With eight years still to go on his contract at a very reasonable annual rate, Weegar is widely considered one of the top candidates to be named the Flames’ new captain. Rasmus Andersson is the other obvious option to wear the “C” (not the flaming one) on his chest going forward. He’s been a Flame for many years and was one of very few players whose offensive output remained strong in 2022–23. Andersson is on a bargain contract — $4.55 million AAV for the next three years — and has always been a vocal leader on and off the ice. He also plays with a ton of swagger, something the Flames sorely needed more of last season. Earlier this summer, Daily Faceoff‘s Frank Seravalli reported that Noah Hanifin has directly indicated that he will not sign an extension with the Flames. Hanifin is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2024 and the Flames have been actively involved in trade discussions with interested parties all summer. But with Chris Tanev and Nikita Zadorov still in the fold and Oliver Kylington set to return to the lineup after missing all of 2022–23 while dealing with a bout of mental illness, the Flames have plenty of insurance in place if and when they do pull the trigger on a Hanifin trade. There’s just one problem: Tanev, Zadorov, and Kylington are also set to become UFAs in 2024. GOALTENDING In the 2019–20 and 2021–22 seasons, Jacob Markstrom posted save percentages of .918 and .922. In 2020–21 and 2022–23, Jacob Markstrom posted save percentages of .904 and .892. We haven’t seen such an up-and-down trajectory for a goaltender since Craig Anderson’s heyday with the Ottawa Senators. In any event, if the pattern holds, Markstrom is due for an “up” year. He might stand to benefit from being used in more of a tandem arrangement instead of being run into the ground as he was under the Flames’ previous head coach. Dan Vladar is a competent backup goaltender. He only just turned 26 earlier this week and his .895 save percentage in 2022–23 was slightly higher than Markstrom’s, although Vladar generally played against lesser competition. Both goaltenders need to be better in 2023–24 lest they want to give top prospect Dustin Wolf a chance to steal their jobs. The Flames’ .893 team save percentage in 2022–23 ranked 27th in the NHL, but Wolf stopped 23 of 24 shots in his NHL debut against the San Jose Sharks on April 12. COACHING Darryl Sutter absolutely had to go after the Flames’ disastrous 2022–23 season. The Flames ultimately decided to bestow the head coaching gig upon longtime assistant coach Ryan Huska, who had previously served under Sutter, Geoff Ward, and Bill Peters in Calgary. Huska played with Jarome Iginla on the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers in the 1990s and eventually played in one NHL game with the Chicago Blackhawks before retiring in 2000. Huska joined the Kelowna Rockets as an assistant coach in 2002 before becoming the team’s head coach in 2007. In 2009, Huska coached the Rockets — including current Flames forward Mikael Backlund — to the WHL championship. The Flames hired Huska as their AHL head coach in 2014 before promoting him to their NHL coaching staff in 2018. Rounding out the Flames’ new-look coaching staff are assistant coaches Marc Savard, Dan Lambert, and Cail MacLean. Savard, who played with the Flames from 1999 to 2002, joined the Flames this summer after spending the previous two seasons as head coach of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires; Lambert worked with Huska in Kelowna and succeeded him as head coach of the Rockets in 2014. MacLean is the lone assistant coach returning from Sutter’s staff. ROOKIES Matt Coronato has a chance to play a big role for the Flames in his rookie season. The former Harvard University sharpshooter signed his entry-level contract with the Flames in the spring and made his NHL debut in the 2022–23 season finale. The Flames originally selected Coronato with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. Coronato boasts a fearsome shot and great speed, even if his five-foot-10 frame won’t exactly strike fear into NHL defenders. If all goes well and Coronato locks down a top-nine role out of training camp, a 20-goal season could be in the cards. Wolf played his first NHL game on the same night as Coronato, although the young goaltender has a much longer track record as a professional. Wolf made his American Hockey League debut in the 2020–21 season and subsequently won the league’s Goalie of the Year award in both 2022 and 2023, helping the Flames’ farm team win back-to-back AHL Pacific Division titles. Although Markstrom and Vladar currently project to form the Flames’ tandem in goal, the team could move one of those two netminders during the season if Wolf proves he’s ready for primetime. BURNING QUESTIONS 1. Who will be named captain? After going two full seasons without one, te Flames have made it clear that they will name a captain before the 2023–24 season. MacKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson are the two leading candidates, but don’t discount Mikael Backlund, the Flames’ longest-tenured player. Backlund, Jonathan Huberdeau, Elias Lindholm, and Chris Tanev served as alternate captains in 2022–23. 2. When will Noah Hanifin be traded? The Flames have yet to lock down a trade partner for Hanifin, who is now the top defenseman on the market after the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Erik Karlsson. Hanifin has made it clear that he will not sign a contract extension with the Flames. If and when Calgary does trade Hanifin, expect them to look for immediate help as part of the return. 3. Will Elias Lindholm stick around? The Flames and Lindholm have gone back and forth all summer, with rumors swirling that the club is looking to lock down its No. 1 center on an eight-year deal. Bo Horvat’s $8.5 million AAV with the New York Islanders could be a critical reference point for both sides. If Lindholm does decide to stay, he’ll need to find chemistry with Huberdeau for any deal to be worth it. PREDICTION It’s hard to predict how a team will perform when you don’t really know what they’ll look like by the end of the season in question. The Flames have been extremely quiet this summer — too quiet — but the other shoe is bound to drop at some point. Rookie general manager Craig Conroy has repeatedly stated that he doesn’t want to lose his pending unrestricted free agents for nothing (as his predecessor did with Johnny Gaudreau in 2022), but the more jaded fans in Calgary won’t believe it until they see it. Patience and pragmatism have never been the Flames’ hallmarks, and it’d hardly be a surprise to see them hold onto their UFAs-to-be as their “own rentals” in a half-baked bid to make a deep playoff run in 2024. Until they actually chart a different course, we’ll have to defer to precedent. The Flames’ saving grace might be natural regression to the mean. Even if their roster isn’t particularly good, it’s also not nearly as bad as it performed in 2022–23. There are good players on these Flames, and the Western Conference has turned into a bit of a minefield of potential lottery teams. The Flames should be able to collect two points from the Anaheim Ducks and Nashville Predators enough times to sneak into the postseason, even if it’s only as a Wildcard team. But unless Huberdeau finds another gear and Markstrom posts Vezina-worthy numbers down the stretch, these Flames will be fortunate to make it to the second round. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted September 25, 2023 Author Share Posted September 25, 2023 Hatty For Matty Coronato scores three and Huberdeau notches a pair as Flames hammer Canucks 10-0 ByTY PILSON @typilson CalgaryFlames.com 11:04 PM Multiple times during the third period Sunday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome the C of Red broke into chants of "We want 10!" Each time it seemed to get a little louder. With just over seven minutes to play, Matt Coronato granted the wish when he scored his third of the night as part of a 10-0 rout of the visiting Canucks in Calgary's first preseason tilt of the new campaign. Jonathan Huberdeau scored a pair, while Jordan Oesterle, Nazem Kadri, Noah Hanifin, Connor Zary and Ben Jones also tallied, as the more veteran-laden Flames side dominated the contest. Coronato finished with four points. Jacob Markstrom played the first 40 minutes, stopping all 20 shots he faced. Oscar Dansk finished off the final 20 minutes, stopping six of six. When Flames head coach Ryan Huska was asked about his goals for the preseason on Saturday, he cut to the chase. "Yes, they're exhibition games and, yes, it's an opportunity for guys to make impressions, but you want to win those games, too, 'cause that's a standard that you want to set," he said. Mission accomplished on the this night. The Flames came out flying on the opening shift to set the tone, with Adam Ruzicka feeding Dillon Dube who moved it quick to Kadri for a nifty shot that tested Canucks starting netminder Arturs Silovs early. Newcomer Oesterle opened the scoring at the 2:25 with an unassisted marker, his point shot finding its way through a maze of bodies and redirecting into the cage off the skate of Canucks defenceman Jett Woo - a former Calgary Hitmen blueliner. The highly-touted Coronato - the Flames first-round pick in 2021 (13th overall) - made it 2-zip at 5:25 with a heckuva effort, tipping a Hanifin blueline offering on net, Silovs making the stop but Coronato getting his own rebound and putting it home from his knees at the side of the net. The Flames made good on their third PP of the night, and boy it was pretty. And filthy. And straight nasty. Kadri passed to Huberdeau who toe-dragged the puck around Noah Juulsen, who went spinning down to the ice, and snapped it bar down, shortside high over the shoulder of Silovs. Dennis Gilbert got the crowd on its feet when he ran over Nils Hoglander along the right-wing boards in the Vancouver zone just past the midway point of the first, Matt Irwin waiting for him to stand back up before the pair dropped the mitts for a quick scrap, Gilbert getting the decision. Kadri made it 4-0 with an absolute jawdropper - sick, as the kids would say these days. He took a pass behing the Canucks net and then skated out around the far pipe and, with Juulsen right behind him in his pocket trying to contain him, wired a no-look backhander right under the bar. Kadri made a quasi swim move to get around Woo in the neutral zone and grab a loose puck, eventually making a cross-ice feed to Huberdeau and he made no mistake, snapping the puck bar down with clang over Silovs' far shoulder at the 9:35 mark of the middle stanza. Coronato made it an even half-dozen when he pounced on a turnover deep in the Canucks zone and calmly snapped it home at 10:30. Just 1:12 after that, Hanifin stepped into a howitzer that found net before Silovs could get his glove up to stop it, ending his night. He was replaced by Zach Sawchenko after allowing seven goals on 18 shots. The Flames wasted no time lighting the lamp again in the third period, Zary making good on his second crack at the puck right on the doorstop for a powerplay marker 1:25 into the final frame. Coronato battled hard behind the Vancouver net with Jack Rathbone to get possession of the puck and then keep it, before feeding Jones who beat Sawchenko at 4:12. Then came Coronato's final marker. Coronato rifles home the hat-trick goal to make it 10-0 Flames The Lineup: The trios, D-pairs and goalie that started the tilt. FORWARDS Jonathan Huberdeau - Elias Lindholm - Yegor Sharangovich Adam Ruzicka - Nazem Kadri - Dillon Dube Dryden Hunt - Ben Jones - Matt Coronato Martin Pospisil - Connor Zary - Adam Klapka DEFENCE Noah Hanifin - Rasmus Andersson Jordan Oesterle - Chris Tanev Ilya Solovyov - Dennis Gilbert Brady Lyle GOALIES Jacob Markstrom Oscar Dansk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted September 25, 2023 Author Share Posted September 25, 2023 1st pre-season game in the books, matty looked like a goal scorer, which is why we drafted him. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegx.ca Posted September 25, 2023 Share Posted September 25, 2023 THE CUP IS OURS ...haha I wish but putting up 10 is encouraging...still don't think we make the playoffs this season but hopefully I'm wrong...I like Huska as a coach he's smart and cerebral... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 12, 2023 Author Share Posted October 12, 2023 Game # 1 CGY 5 Jets 3 Andrew Mangiapane has 2 goals and an assist, Flames beat Jets 5-3 in opener 1:49 Winnipeg Jets vs. Calgary Flames: Full Highlights Winnipeg Jets vs. Calgary Flames: Full Highlights ByAP Updated: Oct 12, 2023, 02:40 am CALGARY, Alberta -- — Andrew Mangiapane had two goals and an assist and the Calgary Flames beat the Winnipeg Jets 5-3 on Wednesday night in their season opener. “A big two points,” Mangiapane said. “There was good resilience to come back and not get away from the game. Just to kick off the season with a win is huge.” Elias Lindholm added a goal and two assists, defensemen Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar also scored, and Jacob Markstrom made 34 saves. “A big, big game for him and we’re going to need a lot more of those from him,” Mangiapane said about Markstrom. Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Alex Iafallo scored for Winnipeg, with Connor Hellebuyck stopping 17 shots. “We certainly played well enough to get at least a point out of there,” Jets coach Rick Bowness said. “It didn’t go our way tonight on a couple of things.” Winnipeg outshot Calgary 28-14 after two periods, but trailed 3-2. Scheifele tied it with 5:42 left, and Lindholm put the Flames back in front with 1:32 to go when he was fed by Mangiapane from behind the net. Mangiapane added an empty-netter. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegx.ca Posted October 12, 2023 Share Posted October 12, 2023 Just the start at need to kick things off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 15, 2023 Author Share Posted October 15, 2023 Game #2 CGY 2 Pens 5 Malkin, Penguins surge past Flames with 5 goals in the third period for a 5-2 win 1:48 Calgary Flames vs. Pittsburgh Penguins: Full Highlights Calgary Flames vs. Pittsburgh Penguins: Full Highlights ByAP Updated: Oct 14, 2023, 11:14 pm PITTSBURGH -- — Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist during a five-goal third-period surge and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Calgary Flames 5-2 on Saturday night. Malkin tied Alexander Mogilny for third-most goals in NHL history among Russian-born players. Malkin, who scored his 473rd career goal, trails only Sergei Fedorov (483) and Alex Ovechkin (822). Malkin and the Penguins admittedly aren’t happy after their run of 16 consecutive playoff appearances ended last spring. “I want to win, I want to play hard,” Malkin said. “We don’t like to miss the playoffs. These points are the same two points in March or February.” Bryan Rust scored twice, including a late empty-net goal, while Reilly Smith and Jake Guentzel also scored during Pittsburgh’s big third-period comeback, as the Penguins won one night after shutting out Washington on the road. Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 34 shots for Pittsburgh. Nedeljkovic, who spent time with Detroit last season, made his first start for the Penguins. He’s played parts of six NHL seasons with Carolina and Detroit and was a finalist for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the league’s top rookie, in 2020-21. “It builds confidence and it feels good,” Nedeljkovic said. “I didn’t get many looks during the preseason, so it was good to get out there and have a good showing.” Matt Coronato’s first NHL goal was scored on the power play for Calgary. Jonathan Huberdeau scored his first of the season for the Flames, who opened a five-game road trip. Jacob Markstrom made 24 saves for the Flames. “The hard part is we had a good first two periods,” said Flames head coach Ryan Huska. “You have to recognize the work ethic was there for the most part.” Malkin took a drop pass from Smith and snuck in a wrist shot at 14:14 of the third period for his milestone goal. He has six points in his first three games. “There’s lots of motivation,” Malkin said. “I don’t want to step on the ice and do nothing and just skate around.” Rust tied the game at 1 just 18 seconds into the third period. Smith gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead just 23 seconds later, the second-fastest two goals to start a period in franchise history. Smith, an offseason acquisition who won the Stanley Cup with Vegas last season, scored his second goal in as many games. He took a pass from Malkin and beat Markstrom with a one-timer from between the circles. “We were hoping (Smith and Malkin) were going to develop some chemistry and that’s one of the reasons why we put them together from the first day,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. Guentzel put Pittsburgh in front 3-1 at 5:50 of the third period. Guetnzel, who has points in three straight games, is two goals away from 200 in his career. Coronato opened the scoring at 18:22 of the second period with a power-play goal. The No. 13 overall pick in 2021 took a slot pass from Elias Lindholm and fired a one-timer behind Nedeljkovic from the bottom of the circle. “It’s hard to think about it, the way we came out and played in the third,” Coronato said. “It was a great play by (Lindholm) and it was good to get it.” HANIFIN’S MILESTONE Flames D Noah Hanifin became the 10th-youngest defenseman in NHL history to skate in 600 games on Saturday. Hanifin, who has 49 goals and 240 points, is the first player from the 2015 draft class to reach that mark. The former No. 5 overall picked played his first 239 games in Carolina before a trade to Calgary ahead of the 2018-19 season. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 17, 2023 Author Share Posted October 17, 2023 Game #3 CGY 2 Caps 3 SO Matthew Phillips scores against his old team, Capitals beat the Flames 3-2 in a shootout 0:21 Caps beat Flames in shootout Nazem Kadri flicks his shot off the post as the Washington Capitals prevail in a shootout over the Calgary Flames. ByAP Updated: Oct 16, 2023, 10:37 pm WASHINGTON -- — Standing under the words “SOMETHING TO PROVE” painted above him in the Washington Capitals locker room, Matthew Phillips flashed a wide smile after scoring his first NHL goal against his old team, the Calgary Flames. “It feels pretty good," Phillips said. "I’ll leave it at that.” The 5-foot-7, 140-pound winger scored to spark a rally as the Capitals picked up their first win of the season by beating Calgary 3-2 in a shootout Monday night. Phillips, a 2016 sixth-round pick of the Flames who spent seven years in their organization, also assisted on Connor McMichael's goal three minutes after his and was one of the most dynamic players on the ice. Asked if he thought he'd score against Calgary, Phillips responded: “I like to picture myself scoring every night. ... I’m always trying to play my best every single game, and tonight was no different." Capitals goaltender Darcy Kuemper was also at his best, making 38 saves in regulation and overtime and three more in the shootout. It was his first game back since the birth of his first child, and Kuemper celebrated the victory by mimicking the motion of rocking a baby. “It just kind of came to me," Kuemper said. "I hadn’t thought about it going into it, but it just kind of happened, so it was funny.” Evgeny Kuznetsov scored the only goal in the shootout to cap the rally, making up for two ill-advised penalties he took earlier in the night. The Capitals were outshot 40-23, including 18-3 in the first period alone after giving up the game's first 13 before registering one. But Kuemper was sharp throughout, including a stop on a penalty shot by Blake Coleman with 14 minutes remaining in the third. “He’s got a little bit of that dad strength now and he was phenomenal tonight,” McMichael said. "He faced a lot of rubber, especially when we needed him and we weren’t playing our best. He kept us in that game.” After being shut out in the season opener and the first 26-plus minutes against the Flames, the Capitals' offensive outburst gave new coach Spencer Carbery his first NHL victory. Adam Ruzicka and Dillon Dube scored for the Flames, and goaltender Jacob Markstrom's struggles against the Capitals continued. Markstrom allowed two goals on 23 shots to fall to 1-8-2 against them during his career. “When you look at our three games, we’ve gotten better every game and that’s what we want to keep seeing,” rookie coach Ryan Huska said. “It’s a step in the right direction for us, for sure. Yes, we would have wanted the extra point, no doubt, and that at the end of the day is what it’s all about, but we’re getting there.” 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted October 17, 2023 Share Posted October 17, 2023 Another one goal loss. Hopefully it does not become a pattern as it did last season on their way to coming within a single one goal loss of tying the all time record No seriously, I watched most of last nights game ( the Wings were on local blackout by ESPN because they played in Columbus, grrrr) Markstrom looked great, the team looked confident. The middle six stepped up on a night when the top line was shut down, they faced a hot goalie on the road and still managed a point on the road. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 20, 2023 Author Share Posted October 20, 2023 Game # 4 Flames 4 Buff 3 Adam Ruzicka scores the go-ahead goal for the Flames, who beat the sloppy Sabres 4-3 Adam Ruzicka scores goal vs. Sabres ByAP Updated: Oct 19, 2023, 11:10 pm BUFFALO, N.Y. -- — Adam Ruzicka scored the go-ahead goal on a bad-angle shot 4:35 into the third period, and the Calgary Flames overwhelmed the sloppy Buffalo Sabres and rookie goalie Devon Levi in a 4-3 win on Thursday night. Jonathan Huberdeau, Blake Coleman and Walker Duehr also scored in an outing the Flames peppered 37 shots on net, including MacKenzie Weegar nearly sneaking in a shot from just inside the center line. Dan Vladar stopped 24 shots in his season debut in net. The Flames improved to 1-1-1 three games into a five-game Eastern trip, and responded with a goal each time the Sabres tied the score, with their final two set up by forcing turnovers. “When they came back, we didn’t think about negative. I think we stuck with it,” Huberdeau said. “We saw a lot of character from the guys. It’s a big team win.” Tage Thompson, JJ Peterka and Erik Johnson scored for the Sabres. Levi stopped 33 shots, but appeared off his game in his fourth consecutive start of the season. Ruzicka scored on a shot from just above the goal line to beat Levi through the legs. Duehr scored Calgary’s second goal by slipping a shot through Levi’s legs from the right circle. And the night almost got worse for the 21-year-old when he appeared to be caught sleeping on Weegar’s shot with 11:12 left in the third period. Levi got his right pad down to stop the puck just inside the post. Officials ruled the puck did not go in, and their call stood following a lengthy review. Sabres coach Don Granato credited the Flames for putting his team and goalie on their heels by getting shots to the net, no matter the angle. “They were intent on creating chaos and capitalizing on it better than we were. We wanted to pass our way into the net,” Granato said, while saying he needed time to review the goals before rating Levi’s performance. What he didn’t need to review was his entire team’s performance by saying: “We created our own mess tonight. We were sloppy.” Turnovers were an issue. Ruzicka’s goal — scored 1:21 after Peterka tied it at 3 — was set up after Dillon Dube forced a turnover by Connor Clifton at the left boards. “That was an example of a guy staying with it,” Flames coach Ryan Huska said of Dube. “He competed hard on the wall, ended up winning a puck, and then it was a nice quick release that I’m guessing the goalie probably wasn’t ready for.” And the Flames went up 3-2 on Coleman’s goal 1:52 into the third period when Dennis Gilbert created a turnover at Calgary’s blue line by knocking Sabres rookie Zach Benson off the puck. Buffalo is carrying three goalies, but placing its faith in Levi, who closed last season by going 5-2 with the Sabres after completing his third college season at Northeastern. Levi also got little help in front of him in a sloppy outing for Buffalo that ended with the Sabres spending the final 67 seconds short-handed after being penalized for too many men. Johnson’s goal was his first in 69 regular-season games, dating to April 26, 2022, though the former Colorado player scored twice in the playoffs since. “Any time I can chip one in, it’s a bonus,” said Johnson of scoring his 89th career goal in his 924th game. “That’s not really what I’m known for anymore, but fun to contribute. Obviously I’d trade that for a win.” 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegx.ca Posted October 20, 2023 Share Posted October 20, 2023 Seems like most Calgary games gonna be going over now haha... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 20, 2023 Author Share Posted October 20, 2023 19 minutes ago, thegx.ca said: Seems like most Calgary games gonna be going over now haha... I know you are a big fan of the Sutter style, but they have to score goals to win games, another one goal game, winning this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegx.ca Posted October 20, 2023 Share Posted October 20, 2023 15 minutes ago, Brewin Flames said: I know you are a big fan of the Sutter style, but they have to score goals to win games, another one goal game, winning this one. I like Huska and his style too but yeah if I had to choose id still choose Sutter... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 21, 2023 Author Share Posted October 21, 2023 Game # 5 CGY 1 CBJ 3 Danforth has goal and an assist, Martin stops 36 shots as Blue Jackets beat Flames 3-1 Justin Danforth scores goal vs. Flames ByAP Updated: Oct 20, 2023, 10:48 pm COLUMBUS, Ohio -- — Justin Danforth had a goal and an assist, backup goalie Spencer Martin stopped 36 shots to get his first win in nearly a year, and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Calgary Flames 3-1 on Friday night. Sean Kuraly and Zach Werenski also scored for the Blue Jackets, who rebounded from a 4-0 loss to Detroit on Monday. "There was a lot of good stuff from us," Kuraly said. Elias Lindholm scored, and Jacob Markstrom stopped 23 shots for Calgary. After a scoreless first period, Kuraly picked up a leading pass from Danforth in the neutral zone and unloaded from the right circle. The puck went in under Markstrom's arm to get Columbus on the board at 6:29 of the second with Kuraly's first goal of the season and 50th of his career. In the third period, Jack Roslovic brought the puck out from behind the Flames' net and passed across the crease to Danforth who finished it to give the Blue Jackets a 2-0 lead at 8:45. Danforth recorded his first multi-point game in the NHL. Less than two minutes later, Lindholm broke away and beat Martin for a short-handed goal to get the Flames on the board. But that would be it for Calgary. “(The Flames) had a press there in the second and third and Marty was lights out tonight and has a great game,” Danforth said. Werenski got an unassisted empty-netter with 2:21 left to seal the win. “They came out and pressed us hard,” Calgary center Mikael Backlund said. “They put a lot of pressure on us. They have a lot of fast forwards. We knew that going in. I thought we were a little sloppier than we have been in the past.” BETWEEN THE PIPES Merzlikins left last Saturday's win against the New York Rangers with an unspecified illness and then missed the loss to Detroit on Monday. He wasn't 100% on Friday, so Martin started in his place again. Martin, in his fourth NHL season, was claimed off waivers from Vancouver because of a knee injury to Daniil Tarasov. FIGHT NIGHT The Blue Jackets’ Cole Sillinger and Flames center Nazem Kadri dropped the gloves and traded some wild roundhouse punches in the first period. Both went to the box for fighting. Shortly after, Columbus killed a 5-on-3 Calgary power play. “I think that fight was huge for us,” Danforth said. “Just the young kid (who) dropped the gloves with a veteran guy like that. It shows a lot for our team, and it’s big for him to step up like that for himself. I think after that's when we started.” LAINE SHAKEN UP Columbus forward Patrik Laine took a shot to the head from Rasmus Andersson as the horn sounded to end the game. Laine's teammate Erik Gudbranson took exception and jumped Andersson before the ice was cleared. Laine was very slow to get up. “I see a hit to the head and (Andersson) lifting his feet," Columbus coach Pacal Vincent said. "I saw the replay. That’s illegal in my book. So we’ll let the NHL deal with it.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyer4ever Posted October 21, 2023 Share Posted October 21, 2023 Andersson should get an extra game for the girlish turtle when he saw Gudbrandson . What a baby. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 23, 2023 Author Share Posted October 23, 2023 Game # 6 Flames 2 Wings 6 Alex DeBrincat notches hat trick as the Red Wings win fifth straight by downing Flames 6-2 Alex DeBrincat scores to complete hat trick ByAP Updated: Oct 22, 2023, 08:27 pm DETROIT -- — Alex DeBrincat continued his hot start with his fifth career hat trick and the Detroit Red Wings extended their winning streak to five games by defeating road-weary Calgary 6-2 on Sunday. DeBrincat, acquired in an offseason trade with Ottawa, increased his season goal total to a league-high eight. “I’ve played with a lot of great players in my career, and I’ve tried to watch them and see where they go and learn some things from all of them,” DeBrincat said. “I think it is a little bit of that and a little bit of natural instincts. I was always smaller than everyone else, so I had to find different ways to score other than powering to the net.” Joe Veleno scored his third goal in two games and Dylan Larkin supplied a goal and an assist. Jake Walman scored his first goal this season, while Justin Holl and Lucas Raymond added three assists apiece. James Reimer made 29 saves for the Red Wings. Detroit was playing the second game of a back-to-back after winning at Ottawa on Saturday afternoon. “I don’t want to say this was a trap, but after such an emotional game yesterday and playing back to back, an inexperienced team might have come out flat,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “I challenged our guys not to do that and they came out with a pretty good effort.” Andrew Mangiapane and Yegor Sharangovich scored for Calgary. Dan Vladar stopped 24 shots for the Flames, who finished 1-3-1 on a five-game road swing. “Six games in and a lot of hockey left to be played but we’ve got to pick it up,” Flames center Mikael Backlund said. “We don’t want to fall behind here. We want to say within the race.” DeBrincat's first goal of the game came off a pass by Holl 1:59 into the game. Veleno scored midway through the first period when he deflected a Ben Chiarot shot from the point. Detroit made it 3-0 two minutes into the second period. DeBrincat made a circle-to-circle pass to Larkin, who lifted a shot over Vladar's right shoulder. Calgary got on the board with 7:48 left in the period when Mangiapane knocked in a rebound of a Backlund shot. Detroit quickly responded when Larkin set up DeBrincat for a one-timer that beat Vladar on the stick side. “Cat’s hockey sense is off the charts,” Larkin said. “Everyone knows he can score, but it is how he finds space and how he finds pockets. It honestly took a little bit to get used to playing with a player who is looking for spots where most guys can’t score.” Sharangovich cut the Wings' lead to two late in the second period on a shot from the point. Shortly after Walman's goal, DeBrincat collected his hat trick with 16:16 remaining on a blast from the left circle that beat Vladar on the short side. “If you turn over as many pucks as we did, you’re asking for it,” Calgary coach Ryan Huska said. “Then it’s just a steady dose of odd man rushes coming back against. That’s not a recipe for winning at any level.” Flames D Rasmus Andersson served the first game of his four-games suspension. The league handed down the suspension for a charging penalty committed at Columbus on Friday. ... DeBrincat set a franchise history by scoring eight goals in his first six games with the club. Ed Litzenberger held the previous record with six goals in his first six games with Detroit in 1961. ... Larkin has 16 points in 15 career games against Calgary. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegx.ca Posted October 23, 2023 Share Posted October 23, 2023 On 10/21/2023 at 7:59 AM, flyer4ever said: Andersson should get an extra game for the girlish turtle when he saw Gudbrandson . What a baby. Well they did play together before so maybe Anderson didn't want to fight his friend plus he knows Gudbrandson is a heavyweight haha... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 25, 2023 Author Share Posted October 25, 2023 Game # 7 CGY 1 NYR 3 Erik Gustafsson's goal and assist lift the Rangers over the Flames 3-1 ByAP Updated: Oct 25, 2023, 02:43 am CALGARY, Alberta -- — Defenseman Erik Gustafsson scored once and added an assist on Tuesday night as the New York Rangers scored three times in the second period en route to a 3-1 victory over the slumping Calgary Flames. Chris Kreider, with his team-leading fifth goal, and Alexis Lafreniere also scored for New York. Filip Chytil chipped in with a pair of assists. “It’s coming. We’re building some stuff, some stuff we want to work on,” said Kreider, about the team's power play, in which he has scored three of his goals. “Each game presents a different challenge, different kill, different opportunities at different times.” Blake Coleman scored the lone goal for Calgary, which has lost three in a row and gone 1-4-1 since winning their season opener. “I don’t want to use the word embarrassing, but that’s a home game that we needed to come out and win and we didn’t,” said Coleman. “I think a lot of guys are pissed off and I hope everybody handles it the right way and uses that as motivation.” After giving up a goal on the second shot of the game, New York goaltender Igor Shesterkin shut the door the rest of the way. He finished the night with 24 stops to improve to 3-2-0. “He was really good tonight,” New York coach Peter Laviolette said. “We were defending too much at the end of the game and there were certainly saves that were important throughout the game, and especially in the third period there was a couple of real beauties.” Jacob Markstrom made 17 saves for Calgary. Down 1-0 entering the second period, the Rangers surged in front with three unanswered goals, propelled by a lethal power play. Lafreniere tied it 1-1 at 7:38, neatly deflecting Gustafsson’s point shot out of mid-air. The goal came shortly after Elias Lindholm intercepted a pass but before he could clear it, the puck bounced off his stick and back to New York. Seven minutes later, the visitors made it 2-for-2 with the extra man. Again on a sequence that began with a point shot, this time it was Artemi Panarin who sent a shot just wide of the net where Kreider, camped at the side of the crease, redirected the puck over Markstrom’s shoulder. The Rangers extended their lead to 3-1 at 16:53 of the second, this time with the teams playing four a side. Chytil’s long shot dribbled through the pads of Markstrom and Gustafsson was right there to poke it past the line. Calgary mounted a push halfway through the third period, but the Flames could not solve Shesterkin. Shortly after he stuck out a pad to deny a dangerous shot from Nikita Zadorov, and then he slid across the crease to deny Jonathan Huberdeau on a one-timer. The Flames got off to a fast start with Coleman, after finding himself all alone in front, took a pass from Mikael Backlund and buried his second goal of the season. The Rangers finished 2-for-5 with the extra man. Calgary entered the night with the league’s second-best penalty kill having killed off 21 of 22 on the season. “You’re on the road, you’re dealing with some time changes and travel and that sort of thing, and I think the guys stuck with it,” Laviolette said. “Every game can’t be an A-plus game. You want it to be, and if it’s not you try to fix it and correct it so it is an A game.” The Flames went 0-for-4 with the man advantage. KADRI SLUMPING Nazem Kadri was held off the scoresheet and through seven games, the 33-year-old has just one assist while being a team-worst minus-8. The Flames’ second-highest-paid player is in the second year of a seven-year, $49 million deal. Adam Ruzicka, who opened the game as Kadri’s left winger, was injured late in the first period when he was sent flying head and shoulders first into the sideboards on a heavy hit by Jimmy Vesey. Down on the ice for a couple minutes, he was favoring his arm/shoulder when he was helped off. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 27, 2023 Author Share Posted October 27, 2023 Game # 8 Flames 0 Blues 3 Hofer makes 27 saves, earns first NHL shutout in Blues win against Flames Sundqvist has goal, assist for St. Louis ByAaron Vickers NHL.com Independent Correspondent October 26, 2023 CALGARY -- Joel Hofer made 27 saves to help the St. Louis Blues to a 3-0 win against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome on Thursday. The shutout is Hofer's first in the NHL in his 10th start. Oskar Sundqvist had a goal and an assist, and Kasperi Kapanen and Nick Leddy each scored for the Blues (3-2-1), who have won two of the past three. Jacob Markstrom made 32 saves for the Flames (2-5-1), who have lost four in a row and six of seven heading into the 2023 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic against the Edmonton Oilers at Commonwealth Stadium on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, TBS, MAX). Kapanen gave St. Louis a 1-0 lead at 11:23 of the first period with a shorthanded goal. He shot over Markstrom's glove on a breakaway after Sundqvist picked up a Nazem Kadri turnover in the offensive zone. Leddy extended the lead to 2-0 at 13:24 when his shot through traffic deflected off the leg of Calgary defenseman Nikita Zadorov and beat Markstrom. Sundqvist scored his first of the season into an empty net on a shot from his own end with 2:07 remaining to seal the win. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 30, 2023 Author Share Posted October 30, 2023 Game # 9 Flames 2 EDM 5 Kane has goal and 2 assists as Oilers beat Flames 5-2 in Heritage Classic outdoor game 1:46 Oilers take down Flames in Heritage Classic The Oilers pick up their second win of the season with a 5-2 victory over the Flames in the Heritage Classic. ByAP Updated: Oct 29, 2023, 11:57 pm EDMONTON, Alberta -- — Evander Kane had a goal and two assists as the Edmonton Oilers beat the rival Calgary Flames 5-2 in the Heritage Classic outdoor game on Sunday at Commonwealth Stadium. Brett Kulak, Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard and Vincent Desharnais also scored for the Oilers, who snapped a four-game skid (0-3-1). Leon Draisaitl had two assists and Stuart Skinner stopped 24 shots. “I thought we got back to our foundation of how we like to play and how we need to play,” Kane said. “I thought we skated really well. We were physical and if you look at the goals we scored, every single one of them was around their blue paint or creating havoc around their blue paint. That is a recipe for success for our group.” Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft said he is not surprised his team stepped up for this game. “We have a lot of proud people in our organization … and no one’s been happy with the way we started the season. I just think we’ve got to playing a certain way,” he said. “It was a big night for our city and for our organization.” A.J. Greer and Nazem Kadri had goals for the Flames in their fifth straight loss. Jacob Markstrom had 29 saves. “We gotta keep believing,” Flames forward Mikael Backlund said. “We have a really good team here. I believe in the guys. We have to stick with it. Play with the effort we had tonight and clean some things up, we’re going to win games eventually.” It was much warmer (about 37 degrees at puck drop) than at the original Heritage Classic 20 years ago which reached minus-22 with the wind chill in 2003. The Oilers started as Markstrom allowed a big rebound on an opportunity by Kane and defender Kulak was down deep to sweep in a backhand shot 4:19 into the game. Edmonton made it 2-0 midway through the first period right after killing a two-man disadvantage as Leon Draisaitl came out of the box and waited for Hyman to catch up on a 2-on-1 before passing it to him for his third goal of the season at 9:38. Calgary got one back with 5:05 remaining in the period and just 1 second remaining on yet another two-man advantage as Kadri's high shot deflected off Skinner’s blocker and into the net. It was Kadri’s first goal of the season. Edmonton regained its two-goal cushion 1:11 later as Bouchard scored on a long slap shot through traffic. Oilers captain Connor McDavid picked up an assist to extend his home scoring streak to 24 games. Calgary got another power-play goal with 8 1/2 minutes left in the second period as Greer knocked in the rebound of Mackenzie Weegar's point-blank shot to make it 3-2. Edmonton got a big goal at 6:16 of the third as Desharnais' point shot took a high bounce off of the ice and past Markstrom. The Oilers put the game away for good in the final minute on an empty-netter by Kane, his second of the season. “This was a big game for either side, with the teams not off to a great start,” Draisaitl said. “It could be a little bit of a kick-starter. It is only one game, but it is definitely nice to do it in front of all these fans at home here and get the two points.” Calgary defenseman Rasmus Andersson missed the game as he finished serving his four-game suspension. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegx.ca Posted October 30, 2023 Share Posted October 30, 2023 How depressing even Kane was pushing us around and taking spit... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted November 2, 2023 Author Share Posted November 2, 2023 Game # 10 Flames 3 Stars 4 Robertson, Dadonov and Marchment score in 2nd period and Stars hold on to beat Flames 4-3 0:53 MacKenzie Weegar tallies goal for Flames on the power play ByAP Updated: Nov 2, 2023, 01:30 am CALGARY, Alberta -- — Jason Robertson, Evgenii Dadonov, and Mason Marchment scored in Dallas' three-goal second period and the Stars held on to beat the Calgary Flames 4-3 on Wednesday night. Jamie Benn had a goal and an assist, and Roope Hintz had two assists as Dallas won its second straight and improved to 6-1-1 this season. Jake Oettinger had a season-high 43 saves — including 21 in the third period — to improve to 5-0-1. “I feel pretty good,” Oettinger said. “The team’s played well in front of me. Just have to do my job, make a few big saves every night.” Stars coach Peter DeBoer was all praises for his goalie. “He’s a rock for us,” he said. “You take it for granted. You get used to it when you have a guy like that. He’s elite. He’s been our best player on almost every night he’s played.” MacKenzie Weegar had a goal and an assist, and Connor Zary and Andrew Mangiapane also scored for the Flames, who have lost six straight — all in regulation — and eight of nine. Calgary's streak without a point is its longest since a seven-game stretch March 16-29, 2018. “We had a lull in the second period which cost us the night,” Flames coach Ryan Huska said. “The third period was more of our team showing a little bit of swagger. It’s not easy when you’re going through these stretches of games, but the only way to get out of it is together and I thought in the third period, we did a much better job of that.” Jacob Markstrom finished with 26 saves to fall to 0-6-1 in his last seven starts. “If we continue to play the way we did in that third period, this is a group that’s capable of winning a few in a row,” said Flames center Nazem Kadri. “So, we’ve just got to build off it.” Mangaipane got a pass from Weegar in the slot and fired a shot past Oettinger at 1:57 of the second to give the Flames a 2-1 lead. Robertson tied it as he got a pass from Hintz in the right circle and fired it past Markstrom at 4:35 while sending Weegar's stick flying. Dadonov put the Stars ahead just past the midpoint of the period as he got a pas from Nils Ludqvist, skated into the right circle and whipped a shot past Markstrom. Marchment capped the scoring in the middle period as he took a pass from Matt Duchene, skated in front of Markstrom and beat the goalie to make it 4-2 with 12 seconds remaining. Weegar's power=play goal pulled the Flames within one at 2:20 of the third. Zary, making his NHL debut, got the Flames on the scoreboard first as he crashed the net from the left side and knocked in the loose rebound of Chris Tanev's shot 5:28 into the game. “I thought Connor was excellent tonight. He played with confidence. He played with courage and he was one of our better forwards,” Huska said. “When he was on the ice, there was impact. When he was on the ice, he skated, he wanted the puck and he made plays when he had it, and he didn’t do it in a risky or unreliable way.” Dallas tied it 1-1 on a short-handed goal with 54 seconds remaining in the opening period. With Markstrom out of his net to play the puck along the end boards, the puck didn’t make it out of the trapezoid and Hintz got the puck to set up Benn in front. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted November 5, 2023 Author Share Posted November 5, 2023 Game # 11 Flames 6 Seattle 3 Sharangovich, Backlund score early in 3rd, Flames beat Kraken 6-3 Mikael Backlund nets goal vs. Kraken ByAP Updated: Nov 5, 2023, 01:31 am SEATTLE -- — Yegor Sharangovich and Mikael Backlund scored early in the third period to lift the Calgary Flames past the Seattle Kraken, 6-3 on Saturday night. Sharangovich broke a 2-2 tie with a tip-in at 1:33, and Backlund scored on a rebound at four minutes after goalie Philipp Grubauer made a sprawling save on A.J. Green’s breakaway. “I thought we went out in the third and took care of the game right away,” Backlund said. “We dictated the third period. I thought we played a really mature game all night, didn’t give them too many shots and chances. It was really good.” Calgary snapped a six-game losing streak. “We’ve dropped a bunch in a row, so you don’t necessarily want to think it’s that big of a game,” Flames coach Ryan Huska said. “But it’s important for us because we played the right way. I think we limited scoring shots and there were a lot of guys that elevated their game." Martin Pospisil and Noah Hanifin also scored for Calgary, and Backlund and Rasmus Andersson had empty-net goals. It was Pospisil’s first NHL goal. “Pretty much living the dream right now,” Pospisil said. “It’s something probably I will never forget.” Dan Vladar made 17 saves. “You cannot underestimate an opponent in this league anymore,” Seattle’s Pierre-Édouard Bellemare said. “Doesn’t matter the situation of their organization or their season. If you don’t meet the desperation of a team, you’re going to be in trouble.” Jaden Schwartz, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Eeli Tolvanen scored for Seattle. Grubauer made 25 saves. “I thought we got out-hustled in the first 10 minutes of the third period, plain and simple,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “That’s just what it was. There’s no ducking that for for us.” Calgary overcame the loss of forward Andrew Mangiapane to a match penalty at 8:45 of the first period. Mangiapane was given a major for cross-checking and a match penalty for attempt to injure. Seattle’s Jared McCann was down when Mangiapane cross-checked his head into the ice. After a brief exit, McCann returned to the game. “I haven’t had a chance to look at it again,” Huska said. “We’ll probably do that on the plane.” 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegx.ca Posted November 7, 2023 Share Posted November 7, 2023 Finally a win...at least we ahead of Edmonton... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted November 8, 2023 Author Share Posted November 8, 2023 Game # 12 Flames 4 Preds 2 Flames rally with three goals in third to beat Predators 4-2 1:46 Nashville Predators vs. Calgary Flames: Full Highlights ByAP Updated: Nov 8, 2023, 03:03 am CALGARY, Alberta -- — Blake Coleman scored the go-ahead goal and the Calgary Flames rallied for three in the third period of a 4-2 comeback victory over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night. Dillon Dube, Noah Hanifin and Nazem Kadri, into an empty net, also scored for Calgary (4-7-1), which has won consecutive games for the first time this season. "You can see the confidence growing in guys and in the group and the way we’re playing,” Coleman said. “Confidence is a big thing in this league, and it makes a big difference, and when you start to get that collective confidence, that’s when teams get dangerous.” Michael McCarron and Kiefer Sherwood scored for the Predators (5-7-0), who have lost three of four. “We’re playing with fire. To a man, we weren’t good enough. We didn’t win the battles. We weren’t sharp enough,” Sherwood said. “It’s just a matter of time when you play like that. You can’t hold onto a lead in this league when you’re just on your back foot.” Jacob Markstrom made 17 stops to snap his seven-game winless skid. He hadn’t won since he was in net for Calgary’s victory in its season opener. The much busier Juuse Saros had 35 saves in the loss. Trailing 2-1 after 40 minutes, the Flames tied it at 4:45 of the third. Shortly after Yegor Sharangovich was stopped on a great setup in front by Kadri, Sharangovich got the puck in the corner and set up Hanifin breaking in from the blue line. He whipped a 30-foot wrist shot into the top corner. Less than two minutes later, Coleman gave Calgary its first lead. Holding onto the puck on a 2-on-1, he wristed a shot high over Saros’ glove. With the Flames down 2-0, their comeback began at 15:06 of the second when defenseman Nikita Zadorov burst up ice and dropped the puck to Dube, whose shot squeezed through Saros’ pads for his second goal of the season. Nashville opened the scoring at 4:35 of the first when McCarron scored his first goal of the season by finishing off a slick passing sequence. In his second NHL game, defenseman Marc Del Gaizo sent a pass down low to Liam Foudy, whose touch pass across to McCarron was neatly steered inside the post. Sherwood finished off a perfectly executed 2-on-0 with Luke Evangelista to make it 2-0 at 14:34. But the Flames carried the play for most of the opening 20 minutes and outshot Nashville 17-6. “In the first period, we were lucky to come out of the period up 2-0,” McCarron said. “I think they had a lot of great chances. Juice stood on his head for us the whole night. At the end of the day we just gave up too many Grade As against him.” BENCHED Calgary forward Jonathan Huberdeau sat out the entire third period. In the first season of an $84 million, eight-year deal, Huberdeau has two goals and four assists in 12 games. He has only two assists in his last eight games. “I thought Huby had an off night and when we went into the third period, we wanted to try to get a little bit more flow and we went with the guys we felt were rolling,” Flames coach Ryan Huska said. “It’s not anything anybody wants to go through ever, but at times, it’s gonna happen. You’re not gonna have an A-plus game every night.” UNAVAILABLE Flames winger Andrew Mangiapane, one goal shy of 100 for his career, did not play as he served his one-game suspension for his cross-check to the neck of Jared McCann of the Seattle Kraken. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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