The Calgary Flames saw an up-and-down year end with a disappointing 4-1 loss at the hands of the Los Angeles Kings on New Years Eve night.
It was a somewhat more spirited display than the scoreline suggests, but a lapse in concentration at the start of the second period ensured the scoreline said otherwise.
At the start of the second period, the Kings led the Calgary Flames by one courtesy of Marian Gaborik. Just over three minutes later, they’d lead by three, as the Calgary Flames surrendered two goals to make it an uphill struggle.
To their credit, after Brandon Bollig squared off with Milan Lucic, the Calgary Flames did seem to have a little more spark; and put plenty of shots on net in the second half of the period. However, Los Angeles goaltender Jonathan Quick was equal to what was thrown at him.
Related Story: Bollig Squares Off With Lucic
Joe Colborne reflected the teams’ frustration at their second period, post-game on the Flame’s official Twitter account.
"Two games in a row now that our second period has done us in. It's frustrating." - Joe Colborne
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) January 1, 2016
Giordano, likewise focused on the team’s poor period; “it was the second period. You get down 3, you start trading chances… You can’t spot that team 3 goals.”
When Mark Giordano opened the scoring for the Calgary Flames in the third minute of the third period, there was a definite sense we could be about to see yet another Calgary Flames comeback victory, but it wasn’t to be.
More from Flame for Thought
- Updates from Conroy: UFAs, main camp, captaincy, goaltending, prospects
- Fantasy Hockey: Potential Calgary Flames sleeper picks
- Flames captaincy updates and candidate rankings
- Camp Notes: Previewing Calgary Flames Prospects at the Young Stars Classic
- Could Flames goalie Dan Vladar be a trade option for the Avalanche?
They dominated possession in the offensive zone but again Quick came up big when required to and the Calgary Flames weren’t able to put the puck into the net.
Sam Bennett continued to show a turnaround in his form, putting himself about physically, unfortunately found to have tripped Dustin Brown with only a few minutes remaining.
Had it not been for conceding the power-play, there was always a chance the Calgary Flames may have netted another. Even so, they still dominated with an extra attacker and only dropped a fourth courtesy of a Tanner Pearson empty netter.
The signs are all there that the Calgary Flames can make a playoff push in 2016; it will all be determined though by whether they can re-find the home form they’d shown until very recently.
Next: Flames Home Streak Shut Down By Ducks
What did you think of the Calgary Flames final 2015 performance against the Los Angeles Kings? Tell us what you thought in the comments section below.