Playing at Scotiabank Saddledome for the first time in more than two weeks, the Calgary Flames fell 4-1 to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the opener of a four-game homestand on Tuesday. Here are four thoughts from the game.
HARD HOMECOMING
For whatever reason, the first game at home following a long road trip tends to be a tough one to win. After finishing a season-long six-game, 12-day road trip with a 3-2 victory over the Avalanche in Denver Saturday and returning to Calgary with a 3-2-1 record, the Flames weren’t sharp in Tuesday’s game against the Maple Leafs. As he’s done in almost every one of his 21 starts this season, Mike Smith gave the Flames a chance.
Defensively, the Flames were pretty good, especially five-on-five. Offensively, they looked out of sync. With that said, the Maple Leafs were largely responsible for that. Mike Babcock’s team was well structured and played with speed, which didn’t allow the Flames to be at their best. The Leafs were the better of the two teams pretty much from start to finish and definitely deserved to pick up a pair of points.
MISSING IN ACTION
The Flames were without two important pieces on Tuesday. Kris Versteeg missed his second straight game with an undisclosed injury, while Jaromir Jagr was a late scratch.
Versteeg, who also missed Saturday’s game against the Avalanche, was being evaluated by doctors on Tuesday. Glen Gulutzan told us that the team should know more in the next 48 hours, which I suspect would make Versteeg doubtful, at best, for Thursday’s game against the Coyotes.
After getting knocked awkwardly to the ice late in the third period of last Saturday’s game against the Avalanche, Jagr was a full participant in Flames practice on Monday and took part in the team’s optional morning skate on Tuesday — although he left the ice way earlier than he normally does. We should know more about Jagr’s status on Wednesday.
The Flames missed the pair of two-time Stanley Cup Champions on Tuesday, especially on the power play, which was red hot prior to the loss to the Maple Leafs. Not only were the Flames 0-for-3 on the PP, they didn’t even get a shot on goal, adding to the Maple Leafs’ momentum.
On the other side of special teams, the Flames were 2-for-2 on the penalty kill and have now killed off 15 of their last 16 penalties.
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RECALLING REINFORCEMENTS
If the injuries to Jagr and/or Versteeg force the Flames to place one or both of the players on injured reserve, the team will call up a player or two from their AHL affiliate. With the way the Stockton Heat have been playing, Brad Treliving has some pretty good options.
If it were up to me, I’d probably recall Marek Hrivik. There has been a revolving door at centre on the Flames’ fourth line almost all season. Freddie Hamilton, Curtis Lazar and Matt Stajan have all been given opportunities to win the job – and none of them have. Would Hrivik be an upgrade? Maybe. Maybe not. While it’s unlikely the 26-year-old will contribute a lot offensively (he has three assists in 21 career NHL games, all with the Rangers), he has good size (six-foot-two, 198 lbs) and is good defensively. At the AHL level, Hrivik has six goals and 18 points in 16 games with the Heat this season and 67 goals and 186 points in 334 career games.
The Flames were hoping that someone on their active roster would win the job as the team’s fourth-line centre – but more than a quarter of the way through the regular season, that hasn’t happened. The injuries to Jagr and Versteeg might give them an opportunity to give someone else in their system a shot. With that said, if the Flames decide to recall a winger, Garnet Hathaway and Andrew Mangiapane would be at the top of my list.
TRAP GAME
Because their fans travel as well as any in the league, it’s always special when the Maple Leafs come to town – especially now that they’re actually a good team.
While the “Battle of Alberta” will never be what it was in the 1980’s, with high expectations in both Calgary and Edmonton after both teams made the playoffs last season, games between the Flames and the Oilers are meaningful again. Personally, the five games between the provincial rivals this season were the first ones that I circled on my calendar when the schedule came out – and I’m not the only one.
Sandwiched between Tuesday’s game against the Maple Leafs and Saturday’s contest versus the Oilers is Thursday’s tilt with the Arizona Coyotes. The NHL-worst Coyotes will likely have fewer fans at Thursday’s game than I have fingers and toes, so there certainly won’t be the same buzz in the building that there was on Tuesday or will be on Saturday. One of the main reasons why the Flames made the playoffs last season is because for the most part, they took care of business in games against teams that they should. If they’re going to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third time in four seasons, they’ll probably have to do the same this season.
I’m sure Smith will be pumped up to play his former team for the first time. If the defencemen and forwards in front of him are as well, the Flames will more than likely win Thursday’s game. If they’re not, Smith might have to steal the game for them, which as both teams know, is something that he’s more than capable of doing.
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