The Flames need more deafening periods like that from Milan Lucic

“Oscillate Wildly” is not only the name of an unbelievably suave instrumental by the Smiths, but it also perfectly captures the Calgary Flames’ performance on Sunday night.

In fact, the team often tends to sway mid-game, either gradually losing early momentum or reviving play late. Sunday’s loss against Vegas resembled tennis in this way, where the Flames faltered in the first, emerged later in the second but dipped again in the tail of the third. Hockey is always a contingent game, but it was striking to see the Flames spill, refill and ultimately shatter against the ice in fairly spectacular fashion.

To see the glass as if it were half-full though, the second period was a small but promising victory for the Flames thanks to Milan Lucic. Playing his loudest hockey of the season, Lucic boomed with a critical goal to snap the shutout, a second assist to shave the deficit and three resonant hits in the frame. Setting the tone for a comeback that he also spearheaded on the scoresheet, Lucic absolutely thundered to enliven a game that seemed all but dead.

Trailing 3-0, the Flames desperately needed redemption for their unfavourable start to the game. On a microcosmic level though, Lucic himself needed redemption too after unluckily sending his own teammate to the dressing room.

Although his blunder weakened an already frayed blueline, Lucic did not hesitate in the second period to atone for his inadvertent sin the only way he knows how. After Max Pacioretty scored, Lucic altered the period’s melody by adding some noise to the Flames’ forecheck. He registered two successive hits below the goal line before he scored, rattling the glass on both occasions.

Then, motoring down the ice on a two-on-one, Lucic silenced the Vegas bench with the slickest goal he’s scored all year.

Stealth is not usually an appropriate term if assigned to Milan Lucic, but that goal was sly as they come. Staring down Dube the entire time, he suddenly sweeps the puck past Robin Lehner’s five-hole in one quiet, fluid motion. It was a key contribution from someone who likely needed the boost after indirectly injuring Noah Hanifin, but capitalizing on his own momentum amplified the entire team for the next ten minutes too.

Inspiration seemed to hit the ears of linemate Dillon Dube the quickest, as he followed Lucic’s goal with a hit, a takeaway and a goal in his next three shifts. Lucic plugged another point on Dube’s goal, passing over to Backlund on the zone entry who ultimately fed Dube in the slot.

Before the period concluded though, Lucic returned for an encore on the forecheck with another hit, this time on Shea Theodore. Therefore, once the buzzer blared to end the frame, the Flames held all the game’s energy. Their high note even lasted into the third, where they resisted Vegas’ attack to ultimately tie the game, harmonizing with the tempo set by Lucic and his rowdy hockey.

Too soon though, the note died. The Flames allowed Vegas to cut short their comeback tune with an extremely late goal, plus a piercing equalizer. A game deemed complete in the first but revived in the second ultimately proved lost by the third. In other words, the game oscillated wildly. Although Lucic performed, his song could not be sustained.

Upon review though, Lucic flaunted everything that Flames fans hoped to see from him on a nightly basis in that single period. His overall game was not perfect, as he did sideline a teammate, but it was largely great thanks to a second period that was undeniably brilliant. Via hits, forechecking, finish and sheer noise, Lucic reunited the band when the concert seemed over. He fulfilled the role of a third-line grinder to perfection, but the only issue remains that it was the first time he’s done so in a sizeable while. Rewriting a period once in a blue moon is not enough for a team’s primary physical asset, especially come playoff time.

Last Sunday’s Lucic needs to show up onstage more often, but more importantly, the rest of the team needs to back him up and seal the win if he’s leading the charge. This late in the season, the team can’t afford to oscillate wildly. If guys like Lucic cannot play steady, impactful hockey and the team itself cannot profit from their contributions, the only Smiths song they will be singing in April is “I Know It’s Over.”