The look of defeat. It derives from a loss of hope. The mix of anguish and apathy that comes when you realize your original goal is unattainable and you’re left to play out the string. And it was unmistakable in the early going of Wednesday evening as the Flames took the ice to take on a Minnesota Wild team who found themselves in a similar state just a few days ago.
The look was even more pronounced on the face of Brad Treliving, as he took to the camera to grimly field questions from Leah Hextall in the first intermission. The breaths were heavy and the answers were light as he did he best to circumvent concerns of which his sullen expression could not hide.
It certainly had been a tough day for the Flames organization. First came the reveal that #1 netminder Karri Ramo had suffered a torn ACL last week and would be out for the remainder of the season. Then came the news from the NHL that Gary Bettman had upheld Dennis Wideman’s 20 game suspension, delaying the opportunity for the Flames to welcome their offensive defender back into the fold before the looming trade-deadline. To make matters worse, the recently healthy Ladislav Smid would depart the game early with “an upper body injury” only further depleting an already thin blueline that has struggled to keep the puck out of their own net.
So you could understand why the Flames, from the players right up to management, displayed what they must be feeling inside. Defeated.
But to the credit of everyone in the organization, they aren’t giving up. The fans filled the Saddledome in their unison bright red jerseys and cheered on the boys. The players dug deep and pushed back. And everyone was treated to a spirited second half where the team showed that they still carry pride.
Keep the games entertaining and the losses are easier to swallow. Come summer they might even seem worth it if the Flames can welcome a blue-chip prospect into the fold.
After all, mamma said there’ll be days like this.
On The Line
The Wild are hoping to build off the coaching change that saw them earn a rare win against Vancouver. The Flames need a bit of a run to join the pack of wildcard hopefuls, to which the Wild belong.
The Flow
The Flames got off to a decent start in this one, owning the edge in possession and shot attempts, but were unable to generate any substantial chances. They looked good, but without an element of danger to their attack. Even the opening goal for the Wild was off a play where the Flames had solid position, but one miss of the puck led to Pominville picking it up and finding a wide open Erik Haula alone in the slot, who made no mistake wiring it blockerside on Hiller. The backbreaker occurred at the end of the period when the Flames went to the powerplay with exactly two minutes remaining, but surrendered a short handed snipe by Jason Zucker on a nice individual effort. The goal exposed improper positioning from Flames rookie Jakub Nakladal playing in just his third NHL game, but to Hartley’s credit he left the kid in the game after a pre-emptive benching last week.
The second showcased the look of defeat I mentioned in the intro. The Flames were sloppy and looked out of sorts, punctuated by a series of penalties that lead to Mikko Koivu’s lucky bounce goal on a 5 on 3 advantage. At that point it felt like the game, and the season for that matter, was over. But not so fast, a terrific shift from the top line led to Johnny Gaudreau finding a sneaking Deryk Engelland who blindly wristed his first of the season perfectly top corner. The Flames had life. It was followed by a lucky bounce goal of their own (to say the least) as a David Jones shot when off a stick, off the noggin of Calgarian Matt Dumba and past a helpless Devin Dubnyk. Unfortunately the momentum was short lived as more sloppy defensive play led to a wide open Pominville converting past a perma-butterflied Hiller. 4-2 into the third.
The Wild were content to sit back on their lead in the third, but the Flames did do their best to press. A cacophony of posts kept the deficit at two, until a beautiful passing play set up Backlund with an empty net he calmly deposited skate to stick. Speaking of Backlund, he delivered one of the nicest saucer passes I have ever seen earlier in the game, crisply lauching the puck from the corner a good four feet in the air before landing smoothly on his defenceman’s stick at the point. Unfortunately that chance, like many others, would prove fruitless in the Flames’ attempts to square the game, and it was finally salted away with an empty netter off the stick of Coyle. 5-3 final.
Three Stars
- Jason Pominville: A goal and assist on the night equaled his total output from his previous 23 games. Crazy!
- Mikael Backlund: Deserves a star for his saucer pass alone. His solid night including a goal didn’t hurt.
- Jason Zucker: His shorthanded goal late in the first was definitely star worthy. Impressed with his gusto all evening.
Big Save
The game was lacking in any spectacular saves, with the posts doing a lot of the work. Dubnyk would make most of his saves look easy, while Hiller made almost all of his saves look difficult. Not a good stretch from the Swiss goaltender who will likely be out of the NHL next season.
Big Hit
You have to wonder if Marcus Granlund enjoyed watching his brother Mikael Granlund get wallpapered by Deryk Engelland behind the Flames net early in the first.
The Goat
Jonas Hiller. Not hard to see why.
Mr. Clutch
Dougie Hamilton. He has really impressed over the last stretch. Not sure if it’s the presence of Engelland at his side (brought on by the absence of Russell) but the young blueliner has been all over the ice for the Flames lately. Some very strong instinctual plays that spurred some quality chances. The only reason he wasn’t a star on this night was some questionable defensive decisions that led to goals, like the empty netter by Coyle.
Odds and Ends
- Make that two wins in a row now for the Minnesota Wild since they fired long term head coach Mike Yeo. They’re a funny team as they’re loaded with offensive talent, good defenceman and solid goaltending but they always seem to experience woeful stretches. We will see if John Torchetti can guide them back into a playoff spot. I have my doubts.
- Another quality night for the top line of Calgary, who could have potted a few if not for some bad post luck. I’m still left wanting more from Sean Monahan, whose relaxed style still comes off as lazy at times. -2 and the only Flames centre under 50% of the draws. He’s been putting up points as of late, but I’d still like to see more consistency and hunger from him before the Flames management opens up their wallet this summer.
- I do not like the changes to the NHL website. But then again who really likes changes. I’m sure I’ll get use to it, but right now I’m not a fan.
- Lot to dislike about how the NHL is handling the Dennis Wideman suspension, but mostly the amount of delay it’s taken them to reach this point. Brian Burke had some satisfying remarks on the matter. Interesting to see what the arbitrator will decide now that the NHLPA has declared their intent to challenge Bettman’s ruling.
Next Up
The Flames have one more home game before a west coast swing, welcoming the Vancouver Canucks Friday night, 7 pm puckdrop on Sportsnet.
Lines (To Start):
Johnny Gaudreau – Sean Monahan – Jiri Hudler
Sam Bennett – Mikael Backlund – Michael Frolik
Joe Colborne – Marcus Granlund – Josh Jooris
Michael Ferland – Matt Stajan – David Jones
Mark Giordano – T.J. Brodie
Dougie Hamilton – Deryk Engelland
Ladislav Smid – Jakub Nakladal
Jonas Hiller
