The Flames lost their third-straight game, all in overtime or a shootout, falling 2-1 to the Kings in OT at Scotiabank Saddledome on Wednesday. Here are some takeaways from the game.
2+1=3
After a 2-1 shootout loss to the Jets last Saturday and a 2-1 overtime setback versus the Sabres on Monday, the Flames fell 2-1 in OT to the Kings on Wednesday. The bad news is the Flames have lost three straight games. The good news is all three losses have been in overtime or a shootout.
ROLL THE HIGHLIGHT REEL
The Flames only scored one goal on Wednesday, but boy, was it a beauty! It started when Brett Kulak made a good play at the Kings blue line to bat the puck out of the air and into the offensive zone. Micheal Ferland picked up the puck, dropped it between his legs to Sean Monahan, who on a give-and-go with Johnny Gaudreau, got it back and tapped it past Darcy Kuemper into a half-open net. An absolutely gorgeous goal.
Monahan and Gaudreau had lots of mojo last night. Monahan had a season-high eight shots on goal and could have had two hat tricks. Gaudreau appeared to have a string tied from his stick to the puck and was as dynamic as I’ve ever seen him. Led by their top two offensive players, the Flames had plenty of opportunities to score against the stingy Kings, who have given up fewer goals than any team in the league, they just couldn’t capitalize on enough of their chances.
TOUGH TO BEAT…
…In regulation time. Even though they’ve lost their last three games, the Flames have put at least one point in the bank in 10 consecutive contests, going 7-0-3 since New Year’s Eve. The main reason why the Flames have been so tough to beat is because their goaltenders, Mike Smith and David Rittich, have been great. The Flames have surrendered two or fewer goals in eight straight games and three or fewer goals in 21 consecutive contests dating back to Dec. 6.
As good as Smith and Rittich have been, the Flames have also been really good defensively in front of their netminders. The defencemen are doing a much better job denying entries with good gaps at their blue line and the forwards have helped out by applying back pressure through the neutral zone. As a group, the Flames are making better decisions with the puck than they were earlier in the season, and when in doubt, they are “punting” it, as Glen Gulutzan likes to say, down the ice and living to play another day.
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WHEN OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS…
…The Flames haven’t been answering. During their season-long seven-game winning streak, and to an even greater extent, during their four-game trip, the Flames did a great job capitalizing on their scoring chances. In the last three games, they haven’t been as opportunistic. The Flames outshot and out-chanced the Kings on Wednesday, but they didn’t outscore their Pacific Division foe. The Flames dominated the second period of Wednesday’s game against the Kings, but failed to build on their 1-0 lead despite firing 16 shots at Kuemper. It’s tough to win when you only score one goal.
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HEY NOW, YOU’RE AN ALL-STAR
Four seasons into his NHL career, Johnny Gaudreau is a four-time all-star. Gaudreau is one of the most creative players in the game and one of the most dangerous at three-on-three, so I’m sure he’ll put on a show for the fans in Tampa and those tuned in on Sportsnet. The Flames learned on Wednesday that Gaudreau wouldn’t be going south by himself. The NHL announced that Smith would replace injured Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick on the Pacific Division team.
The 35-year-old, who played in his first all-star game last season while with the Coyotes, will take his wife and four kids with him to Tampa, where he played for the Lightning for parts of four seasons from 2007-2011. Gaudreau and Smith have been two of the best players at their positions in the league so far this season, and if I had a vote, would be co-MVPs of the Flames through 48 games, so it’s fitting that they’ll represent the team this weekend.
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