The Calgary Flames hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday evening. The Flames played fairly well, but a perfect storm of defensive lapses, odd bounces and the Leafs’ skilled players making skill plays combined for a rather one-sided game on the scoreboard. The Flames lost to the Leafs by a 6-2 score.

The entire game was very fast-paced and up-tempo. But the theme of the first chunk of the game was this: the home team got a good scoring chance, couldn’t pull the trigger, and then the Leafs went the other way and scored (or just about scored).

With Johnny Gaudreau in the penalty box, the Leafs opened the scoring off a big defensive lapse by their penalty kill. Mikael Backlund dropped his stick and froze. The other three defenders frozen as the Leafs cycled the puck. The momentary confusion allowed Tyler Ennis to find an open spot in front of the net and he roofed a back-hander over top of David Rittich to make it 1-0 Buds.

Toronto doubled their lead a little while later off a weird play. Again, a defender dropped their stick. Rasmus Andersson looked to the official for a penalty and, not getting one, picked up his stick and scrambled to the front of the net. He arrived in time for Ennis to ramp a shot attempt off his skate and float it just over top of an out-stretched Rittich to make it 2-0 Leafs.

The lead was extended to 3-0 late in the period off a couple rough defensive reads and a stellar initial save. Noah Hanifin was caught flat-footed, which allowed Mitch Marner to blow past him for a breakaway opportunity. Rittich made a stop on Marner, but Travis Hamonic wasn’t able to tie up Zach Hyman and he got a skate on the puck as he stopped – which pushed the puck into the net – and made it 3-0 Leafs. (The play was reviewed, but counted.)

Shots were 12-11 Flames and scoring chances 12-8 Flames in the opening period.

The Leafs added to their lead in the second period. TJ Brodie got chasing in the defensive zone, aggressively chasing after Marner. Marner, to his credit, made a skill play and put a pass right on the stick of Hyman for a tap-in to make it 4-1 Toronto.

The Flames got on the board after the fourth line drew a penalty. 11 seconds into the ensuing power play, Johnny Gaudreau’s attempted wrap-around bonked around in the crease and eventually went in off Matthew Tkachuk to cut the Leafs’ lead to 4-1.

Shots were 16-11 Flames and chances 10-10 in the middle frame.

Early in the third period the Leafs reinstated their four goal lead. Ennis chucked the puck from north of the face-off circle and it found its way past Rittich, beating him just inside the far post. Travis Hamonic did cut across Rittich’s field of view before the shot, but it was one that the netminder had to have. That made it 5-1.

Derek Ryan chipped a Mark Giordano pass from below the goal line past Frederik Andersen to make it 5-2.

But Marner scored off a goal-mouth scramble 32 seconds later to give the Leafs a 6-2 lead.

Shots were 10-9 Leafs and scoring chances 10-8 Flames in the third period.

The Flames weren’t awful. But they weren’t at their best. If you go back and look at most of the goals, RIttich didn’t have much of a chance because of a weird circumstance of the Flames making bad reads and odd decisions while the Leafs got some bounces and made some good plays with the puck.

If the Flames bury their chances early on, it might be a different game. But the Flames couldn’t pull the trigger and the Leafs did – and often – and occasionally their chances were aided by some fortunate puck luck.

Credit where it’s due, though: while Rittich wasn’t awful, Andersen was the better goaltender.

Let’s go with a collective nod to the bottom six. The Flames’ bottom two lines were full of energy and did their best to generate some scoring chances. Both Flames goals came off some hard work from their fourth line.

Hyman’s goal at the end of the period, the eventual game winner, made this a 3-0 game. Few teams, even the high-powered Flames, can find their way back from that kind of deficit.

The Flames (41-18-7) practice tomorrow, then jet off to scenic Las Vegas, Nevada. They’ll visit the Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday evening.