Calgary Puck

It seems like a familiar script.

Get up on home ice, lose the lead, go to overtime, lose the game.

It’s happened three times this year on home ice, but tonight was at least a little bit different … an honestly I mean a little bit.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, once they tied the game with about seven minutes to play in the third period had plenty of opportunities to keep the script very much on queue, but Jacob Markstrom bailed the team out.

The shoot out went seven rounds with Markstrom making six saves, allowing Mikael Backlund’s 7th round snipe to stand up as the game winner as the Flames conclude this three game mini home stand with a 2-1-0 record with a 2-1 shoot out victory on Monday night.

Now it’s off to California for back to back games on Thursday and Friday.

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That one wasn’t pretty.

The Flames got the start they wanted, and honestly the finish, but in the middle there was a lot of sloppy, unforced errors and breakdowns, turning a 2-0 lead into a 4-2 deficit as the Jets finally ended their five game losing streak.

For the Flames it brought an end to a four game winning streak, and seven games getting at least one point, as they try and start a new streak when the Penguins come to town on Monday.

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Beating the Boston Bruins in Boston on the second half of a back to back with your back up goalie in net and having been on the road for almost 14 days is pretty impressive.

The stuff of legends.

But mucking your way through a trap game, an encounter against a lesser opponent on home ice, jet lagged, after a long trip and with your brains usually somewhere else is almost as impressive.

The Flames were exactly that on Tuesday night in turning back the Chicago Blackhawks by a 5-2 score despite not having “it” to the degree the team likes to display on a night in night out basis.

Two leads blown, but a third period late tally by Matthew Tkachuk on a fortunate bounce and two empty netters and just like that the Flames have won four in a row, and get rewarded with four days between games.

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At what point is a start no longer a start, but a just is?

I think Peter Maher used to say 20 games. Others point to American Thanksgiving.

Well the Flames have played 19 games, and American Thanksgiving kicks off this week on Thursday … so yeah the for real thing is soon upon us.

The Flames completing a seven game road trip in Boston tonight found a goal in each of the first two periods by Boston College natives, and then settled things in the third in what came close to two shorthanded goals on the same powerplay to put the Bruins away 4-0 on Sunday night.

The win gives the Flames a 4-1-2 record on the seven gamer which is pretty astounding since they went 5-0-0 on their last junket.

They just keep on rolling and rolling.

Next up a rather cruel game on Tuesday with little time between with travel against the Blackhawks on Saddledome ice. I’d suggest they come out flat after the travel and adjusting to home, but I’m dong betting against this team.

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That certainly wasn’t perfect, yet in it’s flawed way it was a very good sign.

The Flames were under siege at times from a team playing off a raucous building opening crowd, and took far too many penalties early, but every time they looked to be on the ropes they were able to stabilize and get back to their structure.

In the end it was an edge in special teams and some late empty net goals that fueled the team’s 5-2 victory opening the UBS Arena in Long Island (really Queens) on Saturday night.

The Flames, of course, of the Atlanta breed, opened the last real home for the Islanders (not going to count the Barclay Center), with a similar result, and in fact the exact same score before Calgary added two empty net goals.

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