Once again there won’t be a obscenity laced tirade from the media room at the Saddledome, Bob Hartley seething through his teeth uttering words like “eradicate” and “you’d think 200 days together and you’d learn”.
From the moment the Flames “knew” they wouldn’t make the playoffs there have only been a handful of true face plants, most of those aided and abetted by some pretty shaky goaltending. The team night in night out with heads held high, showing ready and able to make each and every game a battle.
Tonight against a cup favourite was no different with the Flames scratching and whacking their way to a disappointing 4-3 overtime loss at the Saddledome, in a game they led with just 40 seconds to play.
Tough loss for the team, but salvation in the standings I suppose. Another great effort.
The Flow
The Flames got off to a good start, at least after the painful first 15 seconds that featured two quick whistles. Hunter Shinkaruk full of piss and vinegar with his family and legion in the audience runs over two Kings in his first two shifts, and Mikael Backlund scores a fluke one when he centers the puck from behind the net on a gaffe by goaltender Enroth and gets the back of Kopitar and into the net, his 18th of the season. All L.A. from there though as they generate 12 shots through the period including the period’s only powerplay on a goalie interference call on Johnny Gaudreau (yep you read that right). They only solve Ortio once though, Lucic from Kopitar through the wickets. Score tied at one, shots 12-4 L.A..
The second period was literally the complete opposite of the first period both in terms of goal differential and shots. The Flames the better team, pushed hard up the ice against the Kings and had the lion’s share of the scoring chances. The Flames tied the score when Johnny Gaudreau took the puck off the half wall (playing his opposite side with Shinkaruk on the left) and worked it to the slot before letting it loose and seeing it deflect up in the air. Giordano corralled the puck and put it on Enroth, the rebound bouncing to a gleeful Shinkaruk who hammered home the rebound for the second in his career in front of friends and family. The Flames continued to push and had another chance late with Sean Monahan wiring one off the cross bar at the buzzer. Game tied at two after two, shots tied at 16.
Calgary came roaring out in the third on a powerplay and took the lead when Johnny Gaudreau found Mark Giordano in the high slot, his shot eluding Enroth in a very Hiller-esque effort. The lead didn’t last long however as the Kings tied it up right away on an odd play that had Anreoff one hand slap the puck away from Nakladal and past a surprised Joni Ortio, game tied again at three. The Flames just keep on a coming, and get rewarded when Joe Colborne and Micheal Ferland both make physical plays behind the Kings net, Ferland’s on Kopitar where he bumps him off the puck and then dupes him by dumping the puck to Engelland who beats Enroth short side top shelf to make it 4-3 Flames. Win right? There’s only 3 minutes and change left. But no … the Kings tie it on a goal mouth scramble, Versteeg doing the honors, and then win it in overtime when Monahan coughs up the puck at the Kings blueline and Jeff Carter walks in and ends it, just 30 seconds in.
1. Milan Lucic: Still can’t get used to this guy not playing in Boston. Two goals to pace the Kings.
2. Kris Versteeg: Scored the game winner in an Alberta home coming, great pick up by the Kings.
3. Johnny Gaudreau: Two assists and both were well deserved in another electric night for the winger.
Big Save
I’m not going to pick one tonight as one honestly didn’t stand out. Enroth wasn’t impressive at all, and Ortio wasn’t and didn’t have to be as good as he’s had to be lately. Pass.
The Goat
I guess you have to say Sean Monahan for his gaff in overtime, though I’m only offering that up for the obvious. Statistically TJ Brodie had a brutal night with a -4, all but erasing his big lead on the team along with Mikael Backlund.
Mr. Clutch
I’ll go with the sentimental call and give it to Hunter Shinkaruk. Scored a huge goal in his first game at the Saddledome as a Flame, quite a thing for a kid that grew up a big fan of the team and a season ticket holder.
Odds and Ends
Lots of talk about how the Flames need to upgrade the bottom half of their roster in order to take that next step; they have some elite skill but their bottom six forwards (maybe bottom three) and bottom pairing defensemen aren’t supporting the top end. Derek Grant on a line with Matt Stajan appears to be providing somewhat of an upgrade. He has the jam to play a grinding role, but also the ability to win face offs and has shown he has some pop when he’s given a chance to score. Might be a good investment in that role for a season to see how he grows…. Smart move by the Flames to switch Shinkaruk and Gaudreau on the top line. It gave Gaudreau the inside stick on his off side which he used well, and Shinkaruk looked much more comfortable playing the left side with his knee hockey stick. Shinkaruk scored a goal in front of his friends and family, which was a great story, and Gaudreau had two assists to give him four points in the last two games and more pressure on the top ten scoring. Good experiment. …. Thought the Bennett Colborne Ferland line had a great physicality to it tonight. They all played the man and took the puck to the wall, making it miserable for the King’s defense. … I felt Boston would have a tough year with a thin defense corps, but can’t believe their collapse of late. That’s a serious lost point in Carolina tonight, setting up a classic Boston/Detroit game later this week. … Monahan’s assist in the third set a new career high at 63 points, blistering finish to this season.
Next Up
Thursday night, the Flames last home game of the season when the Vancouver Canucks come a calling. Game time 7pm on Sportsnet.
Lines:
Johnny Gaudreau – Sean Monahan- Hunter Shinkaruk
Lance Bouma – Mikael Backlund – Joe Colborne
Josh Jooris – Sam Bennett – Micheal Ferland
Brandon Bollig- Matt Stajan – Derek Grant
TJ Brodie – Dougie Hamilton
Mark Giordano – Derryk Engelland
Jyrki Jokipakka – Jacub Nakladal
Joni Ortio
