Three things we learned in Calgary Flames 4-3 loss to Sharks
By Gary Pearson
Tuesday’s sour 4-3 defeat against the San Jose Sharks provided a stark reality check for the Calgary Flames.
The wheels fell off under the bright lights of the Saddledome in the third period of Tuesday’s encounter. A lot of unenviable firsts befell a Flames team that were rolling along nicely on home ice.
Here’s three things we learned in the sobering defeat.
3. Calgary isn’t invincible when leading after two
Calgary fell to 31-1-2 when leading after two periods, a still-exceptional 0.912 winning percentage. That is the seventh best winning percentage in the league when leading after two periods.
An inexplicable 28 seconds, in which Alexander Barabanov and Logan Couture scored, was enough to doom the Flames, who played a fairly strong game otherwise. The Sharks outshot Calgary 38-31, another rarity for Darryl Sutter’s team.
2. Markström is human after all
An even more unusual occurrence saw Jacob Markström prove he is indeed human. The Swedish netminder had a rare off night, allowing two he wish he could have had back. The 32-year-old still made 34 saves in the loss, but he won’t be pleased with conceding a pair of softies.
The loss was Markström’s first at the ‘Dome since Calgary was defeated by Ottawa 4-1 on Jan. 13. He also lost two in overtime — one against the Habs and the other versus the Sabres — but has won every other contest on home ice since the Sens’ loss.
Markström’s home record fell 18-5-6 and 14-2-2 in his 18 in the Stampede City. This type of contest is bound to happen to even the most consistent, elite goaltenders over the course of a long season. Expect Markström to bounce back when he’s next between the pipes, which might not be until Saturday.
With the Oilers looming on Saturday night, Sutter will probably decided to rest his number one netminder when Calgary hosts Arizona tomorrow.
3. Sharks have the Flames number
San Jose has beaten Calgary all three times the two sides have faced each other this season. The Sharks are one of the Flames’ bogey teams. Everyone expected Sutter’s team to take both points, especially after opening the third with the lead.
Calgary lost the first game 4-1 and followed it up with a 5-3 defeat to the Sharks. The Flames will be happy to know the Sharks, who are all but out of playoff contention, are not a possible opponent in the first round.
It was one of those contests the Flames can learn from, particularly with the playoffs beckoning. Sutter has yet to find a way to improve his team’s record in one-goal games, with the Flames falling to 8-3-8 in such affairs. The last one-goal losses was against the Sabres, another inferior opponent.
While eight of those 11 losses were in three-on-three overtime, Calgary’s inability to prevail in close contests is still a huge concern for the coaching staff and players alike.