Game Skinny
An under-achieving Jets team looking to gain some momentum after a coaching change Vs. A rebuilding Flames team that has struggled to find the back of the net during their current 6 game losing streak on home ice.
Twice in the first period the Flames players lost their assignment and the puck ended up in the back of the net. The Flames were never able to recover. At the same time they never let the game get too out of hand and I thought some of the players responded very well tonight, but the Flames were unable to avoid their franchise record 7th straight loss on home ice.
Difference Makers
Giordano gave me hope at the beginning of the third. I thought “No…they couldn’t come back, could they?”. But then Trouba scored 2:17 later and that dream died. Still, Giordano played a very good game and almost got the Flames back in the game with his goal in the third and several chances throughout the third period.
Development Diary
I thought Sean Monahan and T.J. Brodie both quietly played a solid games tonight. Colborne was throwing his weight around tonight which was nice to see. Lance Bouma was being a pest and was rewarded with a goal for his efforts. My man crush on Paul Byron continues as he had another good game tonight.
Does Mikael Backlund qualify for this section? It wasn’t the best game Backlund has played lately. He lost his man on the first Jets goal, but I thought he played well for the rest of the game.
Draft Implications / Scoreboard
The NY Islanders beat Tampa Bay in OT.
San Jose shuts out Florida 3-0.
Ben Scrivens and the Edmonton Oilers fell to the Minnesota Wild 4-1.
Calgary remains firmly in 28th place, 6 points ahead of 30th place Buffalo, 3 points ahead of the 29th placed Oilers, and 5 points behind the 27th placed Panthers.
Ramblings
I think the important thing to remember in this rebuild is that mistakes will happen, it’s how the players respond. Tonight is a classic example of a rebuilding team that made some rookie mistakes that ended up in the back of their net. It was nice to see some players respond throughout the game… I thought Jiri Hudler and Mark Giordano had very strong games… I’m going to throw out a guess and say Karri Ramo gets the goal for Saturday’s game against the Canucks… On the bright side the Flames have scored 6 goals in 3 games which is miles better than the 6 goals in 8 game streak they were just on…
Roster Moves
The only change for the Flames tonight was in between the pipes with Reto Berra replacing Karri Ramo. Roster moves are on the horizon though, as Calgary has 5 players on the injured reserve who could be back sooner rather than later.
Where Do They Go From Here?
The Flames stay at home is over quickly as they head out to Vancouver. The Flames and Canucks will finish off the Hockey Day in Canada triple header, Saturday night at 8pm on CBC. Then the Flames continue their road trip, heading south to San Jose for a late game on Monday at 8:30pm. The Flames then head home for a big 5 game home stand that starts Wednesday against Phoenix, 7:30 start time.
