Some times teams find a niche, a shtick, or a calling card. When Darryl Sutter was in town he used to call it an identity, something he felt was required as you steer a NHL franchise up the standings.
Well the Flames are riding their latest identity in the opposite direction, as they continue to follow the same recipe, now three games in a row.
1. Spot the other team a 2-0 or 3-0 lead.
2. Score to make it close.
3. Push hard to tie things up.
4. Come up short and lose in regulation.
Tonight the recipe led rise to a 2-1 loss to the Nashville Predators sending the Flames into the all star break on a three game losing streak and in serious jeopardy of missing the playoffs. The next key date on the season’s schedule? The trade deadline.
The Flow
You could call it a slow start for the road weary Flames, but that likely wouldn’t be giving the visiting Predators a lot of credit given their 3-0 start to a road trip and the level of hockey they are playing. The Preds certainly carried the play in the game’s first 8 minutes and wheeled out to a 5-0 lead in shots and a 1-0 lead when Flame killer Ribeiro takes the pass and put the puck under Ramo’s arm. Calgary gets things going including a chance by Sam Bennett on a pass from line mate Johnny Gaudreau. Calgary gets back to back to back powerplays and a great chance to even things up but are only able to generate a couple of scoring chances and come up empty.
The second starts the way the first finished; with the Flames gassing a powerplay opportunity as they run their futility to zero for three on the night and the game stays 1-0 Nashville. The Flames carry the play in the second despite taking four straight penalties of their own with Webber hitting the twine on the third attempt. The Flames played well, but can’t solve Carter Hutton nor the stifling trap defense of the Predators. Flames still not on the board and trailing the Predators 2-0 through 40, just 20 minutes short of the all star break.
Couldn’t do much more with a third period than what the Flames put forward in the final twenty. All kinds of pressure, all kinds of chances, clearly all kinds of effort. They get rewarded midway through the period when Mark Giordano hammers a puck through a screen and off the bar and in to make it a 2-1 game and a close finish. From there the Flames continue to buzz and come close many times before really getting things tight when they are awarded a late powerplay with 90 seconds to play. Sean Monahan goes to work in the face off circle winning 4 of 5 draws during the powerplay but the Flames come up empty due to some great saves by Hutton and a crossbar.
Three Stars
1.Carter Hutton: The Pred’s backup was amazing tonight. Bored stiff through 20, sort of interested in the next 20 but busy as hell in the third with 15 saves on 16 shots to pick up the win.
2.Shae Webber : The horse was well a horse for the Predators, logging big minutes and scoring the game winner on a rocket.
3.Mark Giordano: Like captain like captain? Giordano does the exact same thing as he also scores and puts in his usual yeoman effort.
Big Save
Carter Hutton had to be huge when a point shot from Giordano was deflected by Sam Bennett, then Jiri Hudler before Hudler corralled the rebound and forced Hutton to get a pad on the rebound.
The Goat
Kind of a tough one to pick a goat as the team grinded hard but just couldn’t solve the Predators goaltender. If I had to pick one though I’d lean Kari Ramo for the opening goal, which was a bit of a weak one. Calgary had the second best goaltender in this one.
Mr. Clutch
Sean Monahan. He’s struggled of late but was much better tonight moving the puck and then came up huge in the face off dot with the Flames pushing to tie things up with the goalie pulled.
Odds and Ends
Smart to see some changes to the lines in my estimation as the Monahan / Gaudreau duo has certainly gone stale this season. They had magic with Jiri Hudler last season but just haven’t found it again with any of the players they’ve auditioned on the rights side. Micheal Ferland had a good couple of games in that spot but with the player still sidelined you may as well shake things up. … As a result we got a look at Gaudreau with Sam Bennett for the first time (they were together with Monahan earlier in the season for one period). How long did it last tonight? You got it! One period. The team as a whole was flat in the first so not sure the line combinations were the problem. Instead he reunited Gaudreau with Monahan and Hudler and I have to admit the line had some jump the rest of the way…. I was all but ready to give up on Markus Granlund after the most recent road trip. He’s just not big enough to play a skill role, the pucks were sliding off his stick and he was losing too many battles. Have to admit he was better tonight though. Plays were actually created on his stick instead of dying as we’ve seen often lately. … Rob Vollman on Fan 960 today talking about first half stats and guys getting things done under the radar. He said two Flames made his list; 1) TJ Brodie for facing the toughest opposition, and that no other team uses a defenseman quite to the same degree that Calgary does against top offensive players. 2) Sam Bennett is 2nd in the league to only Kadri of the Leafs for positive differential of penalties drawn versus penalties taken. Said Bennett specifically is always moving his feet and with that you only have two choices to defend him; one skate hard or tie him up. … Back in the 80s Marty McSorely speared Mike Bullard in a game in Edmonton and claimed he had no recollection of the act because he was dazed by the hit. Dennis Wideman may need to hire Johnny Cochrane to represent him in his hearing with the NHL using said precedent for why the veteran inexplicably cross checked a linesman from behind. Just a bizarre play. … The Flames are now three games under .500 in a season that will likely require a playoff line of 8 game over or better. With just 34 games left they’ll now need to be 11 games over .500 to get it done. Does 22-11-1 sound likely to anyone? Do the right thing Mr. Treliving!
Next Up
The Flames limp into the all star break with no action for 7 calendar days.
Lines:
Mason Raymond – Sean Monahan – Michael Frolik
Sam Bennett – Mikael Backlund – Johnny Gaudreau
Lance Bouma – Marcus Granlund- Jiri Hudler
Brandon Bollig – Matt Stajan – David Jones
Mark Giordano – T.J. Brodie
Kris Russell – Dougie Hamilton
Derryk Engellend – Dennis Wideman
Kari Ramo
