CALGARY – A jumbotron replay of a few body shots, followed by an uppercut on Cole Smith’s chin, was followed by a penalty box closeup of the man who dished them out.
With the crowd roaring in approval of Ryan Lomberg’s latest punch-up, the Calgary Flames’ scraggly-haired winger turned back towards the stands to share a series of infectious smiles with the masses, further whipping them into a frenzy.
Nickelback’s Saturday Night’s Alright (for fighting) provided the backdrop, as yet another exchange of fists on the ice developed, punctuated by a John Beecher punch to Michael McCarron’s chin that dropped the big fella.
He’d have to answer for it later, but with a Hockey Night in Canada audience watching the drama, the Dome was jumpin’.
The surge the Flames have been on the last month seemed destined to roll along against a Nashville team with an identical 18-18-4 record.
Less than a minute later, Rasmus Andersson pre-empted his ninth stare down of the season by taking a great pass from Matt Coronato, hesitating brilliantly as he moved in from the right side before beating Jusse Saros on the short side to tie the game 2-2.
There were still seven minutes left in a wildly entertaining first period that took just over an hour due to the steady stream of big glove saves by Dustin Wolf, a fair bit of bad blood, and a fantastic pass and finish by Blake Coleman and Mikael Backlund that was successfully challenged for being offside.
Two hours later, all that excitement was overshadowed by a Nicolas Hague point blast through traffic with 29 seconds left that gave the Predators a 4-3 win.
“It kind of blurred,” said Wolf of the game-winner that ended the Flames’ five-game winning streak at home.
“I thought I was pushing into it on my left and didn't see it go to my right until the end. But that's something I’ve got to make a save on in the last 30 seconds. We’ve got to get at least a point there.”
He’s right.
For a team that fell one point short of the playoffs last year, surely the message has been hammered home that nights like these, even when you’re not playing up to your standards, the only thing that matters is salvaging at least a point.
The Flames have done well to dig out of an early hole with a 9-3 run of late, only to have nights like these set them back a few notches.
“The first eight minutes I liked what we were doing, we had some good energy to us, scored a couple, one was disallowed, and the emotion in the building, the fights, all that stuff,” said Flames coach Ryan Huska, whose club then went almost 20 minutes without a shot on goal.
“I don't have an answer for you as to why it went the other way. Honestly, that's something that we can't let happen. And when it does, you have to shift it again really quickly. And I don't think we were able to do that tonight.”
Early in the second, Wolf was rushed while playing a puck behind his net that he laid right on Michael Bunting’s tape, giving the Preds winger the easiest of open net goals to convert.
A rare misfire by a goalie whose stickwork is never questioned.
“Didn't see any options, I looked to turn up the middle, and the guy came pressuring behind me pretty quick and kind of just rushed to pass, and honestly, I thought I was back to make a save, and just missed it,” said Wolf, who was asked what his subsequent message to the bench was during the next TV timeout.
“It's my fault. There's no other way to sugarcoat it. You just put a pass on their guy's tape in front of the net and gave him a free goal. So I'll certainly learn my lesson there.”
The Flames made up for it with seven minutes left when Coleman jammed his 13th through Saros’s pads to tie it 3-3 and set up what seemed destined to be solved in extra time.
No so.
“I didn't think we had a great game by any means, but we gave ourselves a shot to win, at least get to overtime and see where it takes us, but we just can't give up a goal with 30 seconds left in a game,” said Coleman, whose line continues to dominate.
“It's just one of those things where you know that situation, that score, you know where we are. It's early to be talking standings, but, you know, we've given ourselves an opportunity to really climb, and there's no excuse for it.”
A momentum killer, no question, for a team that has one game left in this otherwise fruitful homestand, which goes Monday against Seattle.
It’s unlikely that game will include Beecher, as he left the contest shortly after having to answer for his scrum-ending punch with a fight with Hague that left the Flames' fourth liner grasping his arm in pain.
A night full of lessons, but nothing to show for them.
Putting the Flames 0-for-3 this season against Nashville, it was the type of outing a team that finally reached .500 simply can’t afford if their recent bounce back is to mean anything.
