Post-Game: A familiar script, followed to the letter

The Calgary Flames out-shot the Arizona Coyotes by a hefty margin tonight, more than doubling up their opponents in the shot column. However, a familiar scenario unfolded: the Flames gave up the first goal and couldn’t translate their zone time and shot differential into gold-star chances – and when they did, they often hit sticks, feet or ankles and went wide of open nets.

The Flames dropped a 4-1 decision to the Coyotes at the Saddledome in their second-to-last home date of the season.

The Coyotes got on the board just shy of four minutes into this game. Kevin Connauton’s point shot was tipped by Richard Panik in front and past Jon Gillies to make it 1-0. The Coyotes doubled their lead late in the period, as Connauton side-stepped Curtis Lazar’s forecheck at the point and beat Gillies with a quick wrister that hit the very top corner to make it 2-0. Shots were 8-8 and scoring chances were 8-6 Flames.

Arizona made it 3-0 early in the second period off a weird play. Immediately after a really nice deke by Mikael Backlund resulted in zero goals for the Flames, the Coyotes went the other way. Christian Fischer’s shot was saved by Gillies, but it bounced off his pads, off Rasmus Andersson’s skate and into the open net. But the Flames answered back a few minutes later, as Curtis Lazar’s initial shot was booted out into the slot by Antti Raanta and Nick Shore buried the loose puck to make it 3-1. Shots were 17-7 Flames and chances were 9-8 Flames.

Dylan Strome made it 4-1 in the third period, as his shot from the high slot bonked off Michael Frolik’s ankle and beat Gillies. Shots were 18-6 Flames in the third while chances were 10-8 Flames.

The bounces went against them, they took too many penalties, and they simply couldn’t translate zone time into enough dangerous scoring chances to make this game closer.

Spencer Foo led the Flames with seven shots and looked extremely dangerous on Johnny Gaudreau’s flank. A lot of people would, mind you, but he created as many good chances as Gaudreau did.

The 3-0 goal was a tough one, as it came right after a great Backlund scoring chances and was the first of two goals that went in off Flames players.

“We’re creating, but at the end of the day it has to go in. You know, these shots and these chances are great. We’re doubling up shots on teams quite a bit. You have to score, right? There has to be a value for actually getting it into the net. We do a ton of analytics that are expected goals, but there’s an analytics that says a guy can get it into the net. That’s a different analytic in itself. We got a lot of chances, got a lot of shots on there, but we’ve got to get the puck in the net somehow.” – Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan on the depth forwards’ generation of scoring chances.

The Flames (36-34-10) make the trek to scenic Winnipeg tomorrow. They visit the Jets on Thursday night in their final road game of the season.