Lightning 7, Flames 4 post-game embers: Mix it up

Well, you definitely can’t blame the powerplay for this one. Here’s what I want to know, though: is it better to go out failing to cling to a one-goal lead, or knowing well in advance that it’s over? Both are like stabs to the gut, but the latter is repeated, less dramatic stabbings, and you get used to the sensation of stabbing, and then it just hurts less.

The last time the Flames scored four goals was at the end of their seven-game win streak: a 4-1 win over the Hurricanes. Before that, they had a 4-2 win over the Panthers; before that, a 5-1 over the Lightning. In each of those three wins, the Flames scored often enough to put the game away, and allow the final minutes to play out with a sense of calm.

Four goals should probably be enough.

This time, the Flames jumped out to a 4-2 lead a little over halfway through the game: not as comfortable a lead with that amount of time left, but not ba-and 22 seconds later it became a 4-3 game. The Flames had an entire period to work with, following up a great second, and it was a tie game 12 seconds in and then Smith just wouldn’t stop giving up goals and sure, it wasn’t entirely his fault, some of that was on the skaters in front of him failing to clear the zone, or cover a guy, or basically just skating around like chickens with their heads cut off, but a lot of it was his fault.

Weak goals from bad angles that never should have happened. It’s the third time Smith has been pulled from a game this season (not including injury). He gave up five goals to the Senators in October and Oilers in December before he got the hook in those games; this time, it took until the sixth goal to get him out of there – a sixth goal that came barely a minute after the fifth.

Smith accepted fault for this one. His .778 save percentage broke a 14-game streak of .900+ SV%s. It was his worst game since the 5-2 loss to the Flyers in early December. And he was definitely bad. That was also his 43rd start of the season, a waste that still put additional wear and tear on him. Will it be time for more David Rittich soon?

The fourth line was… good? Scratch that, they were great. They had a 100% CF after the first period. When Matt Stajan scored, all three were at 83.33%. They finished off leading the team: 70.00% for Stajan, 68.42% for Curtis Lazar (who is apparently doomed to never score again; along with Michael Frolik and Mark Giordano he led the way with five shots, only with substantially less ice time), and 65.00% for Garnet Hathaway. They were a force in the early stages of the game, and it was just nice to see the depth coming together like that. That they got a goal out of their efforts should have been enough for a happier ending.

Really great to see Mikael Backlund, after effectively costing his team a goal by taking a penalty (especially when he’s the one most needed on the penalty kill), quickly even things up. When Sean Monahan scored right after, it really looked like the Flames were in control of the game. That might be a bit too much to hope for at this point?

Micheal Ferland is a 20-goal scorer for the first time in his career, and that’s awesome. A year ago, he was playing on the fourth line; now, he’s proven himself one of the most effective snipers on the team. He’s on pace for 32 goals, albeit with a 18.7 shooting percentage. He may or may not hit the 30-goal mark – he’s got 31 games left to try, and a goal every three games or so seems like a lot to ask for someone who regression could sneak up on at any moment. But you can’t take away a 20-goal season, and he’s been incredibly valuable.

This is getting exhausting. Flames play well, Flames maybe deserve a better fate, Flames give up for a couple of minutes and have a negative goal differential again, rinse and repeat. There are constantly these flashes, game in and game out, of a team that is good enough. And then they get swallowed up by a team that just fails, and lets in 50 goals against at exactly the wrong time, and then they lose and have nothing to show for any of their good work.

And they don’t have a first round pick this year – watch the New York Islanders draft Rasmus Dahlin – or a second round pick. The future, aside from a stable of highly-touted defensive prospects and, like, Dillon Dube, has been mortgaged for bubble playoff status.

That’s where my greatest source of angst comes from: there’s still a trade deadline coming up, but this was the best the Flames could apparently put together for 50+ games and it’s just… mediocre. Year five of the rebuild, tons of future assets spent, and we’re left with a team that forgot how to hold any sort of a lead and has won 25 times in 51 games. It’s just not good enough. A year or two ago it would have been fine, but the expectations were raised this year and they are not being matched. How many seasons does it take for a team to learn how to win?

Follow up a seven-game winning streak with a six-game-and-counting losing streak. This is the bad place.