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Flames spend another game chasing and pick up another loss
Photo credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
The Calgary Flames have played 22 games. Through 22 games, they’ve spent the most time chasing of any team in the National Hockey League. They chased on Saturday afternoon in Glendale and lost by a 3-0 score to the Arizona Coyotes.
Flames head coach Bill Peters summed up the game in his post-game chat with the media:
You never want to play from behind. I didn’t think we gave up much, but therefore they were good defensively too. And then obviously they got the 2-0 lead and it makes it a bit of a tough climb. We had some good looks but just couldn’t find one.
Peters added that the team needs to execute better, be better with the pucks, and be harder on the net.
The Flames own two dubious distinctions league-wide. They’ve spent the most time trailing in games (597:11, 38 minutes more than the second place Detroit Red Wings) and have had to kill the most penalties in the league.
They’ve allowed the first goal in a game 14 times – second behind only the Toronto Maple Leafs. They’ve trailed after one period nine times and after two periods 13 times. It’s not a sustainable recipe for success, particularly for a club that seemed so well-positioned for success following such a successful 2018-19 season.
The scrum
Via Postmedia’s Kristen Anderson, Matthew Tkachuk and David Rittich summed up the wild skirmish late in the second period that saw seven minors handed out.
#Flames winger Matthew Tkachuk on the second period brawl: “I just saw Johnny get a little elbow or a hit late and he, I think, cross-checked him back and he seemed to go down, maybe, a little bit easy...." (cont'd in thread)
#Flames goalie David Rittich on joining the scrum: “(Jason Demers) jumped on Johnny … all day long, I will be there like that. If a goalie is going to jump on our player, he could be ready. I’m coming.”
For his part, Rittich owned his puck-handling mistake that led to Derek Stepan’s goal. He declared that it cost his team the game. He’s not wrong, but he also made several stellar stops that kept the Flames in it.
But maybe he needs to rethink some of his puck-handling decisions.
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