Well they scored more than a goal, there’s that!
For the fourth straight game the Calgary Flames have taken a game to overtime, but found a way to lose that second point. In games against Winnipeg, Buffalo, Los Angeles and now Edmonton tonight a team that was almost can’t miss in extra time has become can’t win, as the Oilers set the Flames aside by a 4-3 score in a shoot out in Edmonton tonight.
The glass half full crew will see points in 11 straight games, a run that does a lot for a team’s playoff hopes. Those that don’t see said silver lining will see the Flames heading into an all star break on a four game losing streak; ah the magic of the three point game.
Backlund Peaks and Valleys
One of the steadiest Calgary Flames players on most nights, Mikael Backlund has had an up and down quartet of games since the five day break.
From bad penalties that have included a holding the stick call that cost the Flames in overtime, an odd broken stick toss last night against L.A. and other blemishes to his losing the puck three times on the rush on Calgary powerplays tonight the guy has struggled.
But don’t write him off, as he was huge on the tying goal, a play that got the Flames a point tonight despite losing a two goal lead. Knocking Benning off the puck behind the Oiler cage, Backlund spins and finds Matthew Tkachuk out front for his second of the night.
Great redemption play.
Powerplay
The powerplay goes zero for four tonight and zero for nine in the last two nights in games where a powerplay goal likely wins both games in regulation. This has to stop; it’s literally killing the team.
Yes they had chances, yes they had looks, but they have to get the job done and start helping out what is usually a solid five on five squad.
Glad to hear that Kris Versteeg is coming along and could be back in six weeks, but I don’t think the team can wait that long to get their powerplay out off the snide.
First Names
This Hatfield and McCoy thing gets old.
Calgary and Edmonton, both teams in the west, in Canada, same language, similar culture, there really shouldn’t be such a night and day comparison made day in and day out.
Yet there is.
Watching the Oiler telecast of a Calgary game was very very interesting. When you watch a game called in Calgary you just never hear players called by first names. Never. Tonight it was a theme. “Great save by Cam”, “Lets have a look at the overtime from Connor”, “Zach is trying to get things going”. It’s just not something I’m used to.
Tkachuk
Man is this guy built for a Battle of Alberta.
Driving the Oilers nuts to a man from the drop of the puck he scores twice in regulation and then again in the shoot out to dig deeper and deeper under the skin of his Edmonton opponents.
Even the Oiler telecast was pointing out the job the 20 year old was doing at digging in while staying “out”.
Love Me Some David Rittich
He would probably love to have the first goal back as the seeing eye shot went over his pad from Davidson and into the cage. He had no chance on the second or third goal, and did his best to give the Flames a chance to hold on and finally win a game against Edmonton.
Bottom line though is the guy competes, giving the coach and the team confidence to strut him out whenever they wish as goaltending in his hands is pretty close to what they see when Mike Smith mans the cage.
At some point the discussion will have to change from the present to the future, from being a backup to his chops as a starting goaltender. It’s a good problem to have. Oiler apologist Mark Spector even commented on it after the first period when he said something to the effect of “the Flames have it figured out, you get a few guys in the system and see where they go. What guy steps forward?”. In that discussion he called Jon Gillies an undrafted free agent, but the point stands, many didn’t see David Rittich as the Flames goalie of the future, but as he continues to battle game in and game out he’s certainly entering the discussion.
Good problem to have.
McDavid Whining
Throwing on an Oiler jersey makes a guy pretty unlikable, and I get that. It starts from an irrational place.
But watching Connor McDavid complain all night really starts to wear on the nerves. First there’s the drive wide on Mark Giordano where he leans off his skates into the Calgary captain and then loses his footing. That’s on the player, he put himself in that position. Then in overtime the call is made and just won’t let it go. He complains after the call, and then again before the shoot out.
What is it about generational Edmonton players and face time with officials. Grating.
Goalie Interference
I would have called the overtime goal a goal.
I would have also called the Troy Brouwer goal against Winnipeg a goal.
I would have also called the Austin Matthews goal against Colorado a goal.
They’re all goals.
The league needs to stop assessing whether a goalie got interfered with or not and start assessing whether the interference was malicious or part of a play that is happening at 100 MPH. McDavid almost scores but by skating through the crease after the attempt has his stick and skate can opener Rittich’s blocker and stick. It happened, but it wasn’t a goalie interference intent.
Should have counted.
Fancy Stats
Can’t wait to see David Staples scoring chance summary on twitter tomorrow morning as I’m sure it will differ greatly from the independent, objective account of the hockey game.
Shot attempts five on five where a dead heat at 44 apiece, the splits rolling out at 53% / 52% and 45% for the Flames. The scoring chances however were 17-6 Calgary five on five, suggesting Cam Talbot was pretty large in this one for the Oilers. Over/Under on Staples and his differential? I’m guessing Oilers +5.5.
In all situations the shot attempts were 51% Calgary, and the scoring chances 66% or 23-12 in Calgary’s favour.
Individually, it was a mixed bag tonight as a lot of changing on the fly broke lines and pairings apart in their final numbers. At the top was Sean Monahan with 61%, followed by Tkachuk at 59%, and Ryan Lomberg in his first NHL game at 58%. Other players well above the break water point were Giordano at 56%, Ferland at 56%, Lazar with another positive game at 55% and Troy Brouwer at 53%. The third line and the bottom pairing had the worst of it, all coming in between 33 and 42% on the night.
