Flames Takeaways: Scoring troubles persist in loss to Wild

Winless in five and now 12 points out of a playoff spot, don’t mistake the Calgary Flames for a team ready to simply play out the string.

While Thursday’s 4-1 loss in Minnesota may sound like another easy night for the opposition, the Flames deserve credit for using their mite to put up quite a fight.

Down 2-0 after two periods despite outshooting the Wild 20-8, the Flames were victimized by the same issue they’ve faced for several years now: They just can’t score.

Morgan Frost’s goal five minutes into the third made for an intense, entertaining finish, but their loss marked the 18^th time this season the Flames have scored one goal or less. Only the New York Rangers have as many fruitless offensive nights this season.

No team has scored fewer goals than the Flames, which explains why only one team sits lower in the NHL standings (Vancouver).

“I thought we outplayed them in the first period, but you look at the score and it doesn’t seem it,” said Frost of the early deficit 10 minutes in.

“It’s obviously very frustrating. They had some long o-zone shifts, but for the most part I thought we controlled the tempo of the game. I know we outshot them (30-24), but we just didn’t get enough Grade As.”

Not many at all, which allowed Matt Boldy’s power-play goal with three minutes left to clinch a win, cemented by a Kirill Kaprizov empty netter.

“Obviously a lot of guys are frustrated,” said Flames newbie Zach Whitecloud, whose club has scored just one goal in four of their last five.

“We did a really good job in the first creating opportunities, and second opportunities, we just can’t find ways to score. We’ve just got to weather it, keep our heads down and keep moving, and not try to get too frustrated.”

Now, a few more notes, quotes and anecdotes from a Flames club that has just three home games left before hitting the Olympic break:

Cooley under pressure 

Even though he faced just eight shots over the first two periods, Devin Cooley was named the game’s second star, as the barrage of high-quality chances he faced in the third period called on him to make several big stops to keep it a 2-1 game.

With the Flames pushing in the third, Quinn Hughes had a breakaway midway through the frame that the Flames backup calmly steered away with his blocker.

A sprawling pad save on Kaprizov with four minutes left also kept the Flames’ hopes alive during a power play the Wild eventually cashed in on with the Boldy redirect Cooley had no chance on. His penalty killers, who have allowed just two goals over their last 15 games, were exhausted after killing off a 5-on-3.

“Cools played a hell of a game — he gave us a chance to win and played really well,” said Whitecloud.

“The two chances we gave up (in the first) ended up in the back of the net, but not the fault of Cools,” added coach Ryan Huska.

“Some of those plays, really nothing a goaltender can do all that much about.”

Alternating starts with Dustin Wolf for the ninth game in a row, Cooley finished with 20 saves and will likely get the start Monday against Toronto, after Wolf faces San Jose Saturday.

Parekh back soon

Zayne Parekh’s two-week conditioning stint with the Wranglers ends after his game in San Jose Friday. He’ll fly back to Calgary Saturday, and the plan is for the 19-year-old defenceman to play either Monday against the Leafs, or Wednesday against the Oilers. He could potentially play in both. 

With two goals in his last outing, and two assists in the previous game, Parekh has four points in his three AHL games. 

By all accounts he has looked increasingly comfortable with every game, which was the point of the one-time opportunity to give him time in the minors.

The plan for him is to spend as much time in the gym as possible during the Olympic break to continue trying to bulk up, with an eye on protecting him from being injured by another big-league hit.

Coleman shut down  

Originally slated to return from his upper-body injury on Thursday in Minnesota, Blake Coleman has been told he won’t play until after the Olympic break.

Skating the last week with the yellow, non-contact jersey, Coleman just hasn’t felt right.

The organization decided there was no reason to rush him back for the final four games before the break.

He’ll enjoy his down time in Dallas with his family, who will stay there the rest of the year, as his wife wants to give birth to their fourth child in Texas.

It gives Matvei Gridin even more time to gain traction in the NHL. The 19-year-old winger has two assists in six games since his mid-month recall.

The Lines

Zary-Kadri-Pospisil
Huberdeau-Frost-Gridin

Sharangovich-Backlund-Coronato
Farabee-Kirkland-Klapka
Bahl-Whitecloud
Kuznetsov-Weegar
Hanley-Brzustewicz
Cooley