Calgary Flames Star Struck

In their 11th game of the season, the Calgary Flames played a tired Dallas Stars. A team who played the night before and had their backup goaltender in net. What could go wrong?

1st Period:

The first was relatively quiet. The Calgary Flames looked strong early, putting up 8 shot attempts in the first 4 minutes compared to the Dallas Stars one attempt. The kind of start you’d hope to see when playing a team who played not even 24 hours previously. It would be another 6 minutes until the Flames would concede any significant zone time to the Stars. For over a minute the Stars hemmed the Flames in their zone and got a bundled of shots and chances. Luckily, Mike Smith was there to bail the team out and keep the game 0-0.

Late in the 1st Dallas took the 1st penalty of the game, a slashing call on Jamie Oleksiak drawn by Matthew Tkachuk. Unfortunately, the Flames didn’t score on the power play and never really got anything going. During the man advantage, the Flames didn’t have any shots-on-goal and only managed one shot attempt. A tip from Sean Monahan that went wide of the net.

To cap off the period, the Flames got a late two on with Tanner Glass and Troy Brouwer getting the puck near centre ice. Glass fell when he received the puck but managed to pass it to Brouwer as he entered the zone. Brouwer then passed it to the late man, TJ Brodie, who shot it over the open net. Overall a decent period for the Flames who, despite not scoring, did lead the Stars 22-12 in shot attempts.

2nd Period:

The second period didn’t start out great for the Flames. Dallas came out ready to play and as a result, the home team got hemmed in their zone. In an attempt to ease the pressure, the Flames iced the puck twice, give the Stars more zone time. Smith did manage to make a save and held onto the puck, allowing the tired Flames to change.

About mid-way through the middle frame the Flames took their first penalty of the game, a Mark Giordano high-stick where Tyler Seguin may or may not have embellished a little bit. While on the kill, the home side managed to catch the Stars flat-footed. This resulted in a short-handed 3on2 that, while it didn’t result in a shot (pass went behind Brouwer) it did kill off valuable time for the Stars.

The Flames would score after the penalty expired on a nice 3on1 where Johnny Gaudreau shot top corner, putting the team up 1-0. Unfortunately, the lead wouldn’t last long. Following the goal, the two teams traded good chances back and forth and eventually, Travis Hamonic took a penalty on a weak call behind the play.

On the ensuing penalty kill Backlund had a good shorthanded chance but it would be the Stars who would eventually score. With Martin Hanzal providing a screen, Esa Lindell shot the puck from the point and beat Smith high glove side.

3rd Period:

The Flames started the 3rd the same way they started the 2nd, letting the Stars hem them in their zone and relying on Smith to bail them out. Luckily Smith was up to the task, keeping the game even at 1 apiece. Just over 6 min. Calgary would get a chance on the powerplay. Unfortunately, they just looked lost on the PP. Not shooting enough and having every attempt at a zone entry stifled at the blueline by the Stars penalty killers.

Shortly after the Flames failed powerplay Matt Stajan took a slashing penalty that proved to be too much for the Flames. Just over a minute into the man advantage, Alexander Radulov entered the zone and scored what would stand as the game-winner. After that goal, the game was basically done. The Stars controlled the rest of the period and the Flames went on to quietly lose the game 2-1. With the loss, the Flames home record dropped to 1-4.

Story of the Game:

The Calgary Flames awful special teams. They didn’t score on any of their PP opportunities and conceded two special teams goals to the visitors. In order for a hockey team to be successful, they need to have a good power play and penalty-kill and the Flames haven’t had either.

Next: Flames Need to Stay Out of the Penalty Box.

Next up for the Calgary Flames is a home date with the Washington Capitals on Sunday. Can’t imagine the Caps will be happy coming after losing 6-2 to the Canucks.