Hard to believe this was a 4-4 tie early in the third period isn’t it?
Well it sure looked like it was anyway.
A toe nail off side call on review turned back a game tying goal for the Flames and then the Knights turned seven third period shots into three goals and the route was on for the Flames in a 7-3 loss; their first visit to Vegas.
Smith Return
Will the turning point of the season be that injury in Brooklyn?
It’s starting to look that way.
David Rittich has been solid this season as the Flames backup, giving them solid starts to spell off Mike Smith, and entering the equation for the number one going forward.
But in two of the last three games with Mike Smith on the sidelines (loss to the Panthers, and the loss in Vegas) he’s been pretty iffy, and with that the season could be on the slide.
Grant Fuhr used to always say it’s not how many it’s when. Well last night it was many and the when was really unfortunate as the Knights scored quickly after each instance of the Flames tying the game, and quickly in the third after the Flames had a goal over turned.
Come back Mike Smith, you’re our only hope.
Playoff Battle
Every team but the Flames are getting hot towards the stretch drive putting a nail in the Flames coffin night after night.
San Jose is 7-3-0 in their last 10, Anaheim 6-3-1 and L.A. 6-4-0 compared to the Flames at 5-4-1.
They are taking on water.
The Flames aren’t done, but they’ll need to go on a run now, a run in the range of seven games over .500 in their final 21 games or a record of 12-5-4 in order to get to 97 points and a playoff spot.
It’s possible.
Yet less possible unless we see some good news on the Mike Smith front in short order.
Options
The three losses in a row (one loser point), and losses in four of the last five has come at a tough time for GM Brad Treliving.
Can the Flames honestly buy at the trade deadline from outside the playoffs? We’ve see it before including the Oilers in 2006 adding Dwayne Roloson from the outside looking in, but it had better not cost the organization at top asset for a maybe.
Honestly don’t see it in Treliving’s nature.
So do they sell?
What would they sell? Their expiring contracts aren’t going to fetch much in return, and it’s not the time of the season to do a hockey trade.
Could be a quiet Monday in Calgary.
Slow Start
Another game and another slow start for the Flames as Carpenter wedged a sliding backhander through a crowd of skates and past David Rittich in the first 90 seconds of the hockey game.
He didn’t see it, but he wasn’t down in the traditional “nobody is getting anything by me low when I can’t see” butterfly either.
Tough building so you need a good start, and the Flames didn’t get it.
Mixing it UP
Glen Gulutzan finally saw enough of Micheal Ferland on the top line, swapping Ferland for Garnet Hathaway in the second period as the big winger continued to struggle.
It will be interesting to see if that switch continues into the Arizona game or if it was a one off.
Breaking up the 3M line seems a little less necessary in the past couple of games as they seem to have righted the ship.
Fancy Stats
The Flames had the lion’s share of shot attempts and scoring chances on the night, but couldn’t solve Marc Andre Fleury with the same regularity that Rittich was being diced at the other end.
The Flames had 62% of the shot attempts with period splits of 48 / 66 and 69%. They had 56% of the five on five shot attempts.
In all situations the Flames had 59% of the shot attempts and 71% of the scoring chances.
Individually, only Micheal Ferland had a rough night with 47%, every other player was 50% or better. Mikael Backlund led the way with 72%, followed by linemate Michael Frolik at 71% and Travis Hamonic at 70%.
