Post-Game: bad bounces sink good effort

Let’s be blunt here: the Calgary Flames have been inconsistent this season. Good performances have been followed by woeful ones, to the point where I’m sure many people who follow this club half-expected them to perform terribly tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks. The law of the season for these guys has been two steps forward, one step back, and they had two good outings so far this week. They were due for a bad one.

Well, the Flames lost tonight by a 3-2 score to the Blackhawks. But the Flames were up to the challenge and only took the L by virtue of some bounces and some nice special teams shooting by Chicago. They did not take the expected slide back into their bad habits and that alone represents a big step forward for this club.

The locals were on their heels a bit to begin the game, as Chicago brought their legs with them on the plane trip from Winnipeg. They weren’t amazing, but they were enough to hem the Flames in their own end for awhile. The Flames had a few chances but couldn’t bury ’em, and Chicago opened the scoring as T.J. Brodie got caught on a pinch and Ryan Hartman was able to out-race Dennis Wideman for a loose puck (and a breakaway) to make it 1-0. Aside from that, the Flames never seemed too panicked in their own end, even when they were stuck in the mud there. Shots were 11-9 Calgary in the opening 20 minutes.

The Flames looked good early in the second, but nearly got scored on after a really wacky scramble in the crease that ended up with Chad Johnson’s stick on the far side of the face-off circle.

Calgary tied the game up off a really nice rush initiated by Brodie (after he stole a puck from Patrick Kane). Brodie carried the puck into the zone on a 2-on-1 and fed the puck across the slot. Duncan Keith was guarding the other Flame on the rush, but the Brodie pass careened off his backside (his butt) and bounced around the goal-mouth. Corey Crawford lost track of the puck and Sam Bennett poked it into the net to make it 1-1.

Ffeeds it to slot but it careens off Duncan Keith’s backside and creates absolute mayhem and confusion in the Hawks crease. Bennett poked in a loose puck to tie the game.

Brodie was the architect of another nice rush that led to another goal a few minutes later. Up on the rush with the entire Bennett/Monahan/Brouwer line, Brodie initiated a passing sequence that was supposed to end with a Troy Brouwer tap-in. “Unfortunately,” Sean Monahan’s pass to Brouwer out front deflected off Gustav Forsling’s back skate and into the net to make it 2-1. Chicago answered back before the period ended, though, as Keith Seabrook was left generally unattended and leaned into a nice shot that beat Johnson top-corner to make it 2-2. Shots were 9-9 in the second.

For the second consecutive period, chaos and confusion reigned in the Flames zone early in the third. And it almost cost ’em an early goal.

Just when it seemed like this game was destined for additional hockey, Artemi Panarin’s whistler of a slap shot was stopped by Johnson…but it was knocked into the air and Marian Hossa deflected the puck in as it fell back to the ice to make it 3-2. The call on the ice couldn’t be reviewed (to challenge either goalie interference or a high stick on the play) because the Flames used their timeout earlier in the period, but after seeing the replays it probably wouldn’t have been overturned anyway. Shots were 10-6 Calgary in the final frame.

They played just poorly enough that the bounces costed them two points. Look at the three goals against: a defensive lapse that allowed Hartman to get into a foot-race with Wideman, a laser-beam of a PP shot by Seabrook, and a higher slapper by Panarin that takes a wacky bounce and gets deflected in. (For the record, the Flames felt that it was tipped with a high stick and they would’ve challenged had they a timeout remaining to do so.)

But look at Calgary’s defensive zone play. The team’s signature in their own end – sheer, unabashed panic – is seemingly gone. They seemed mature and poised in their own end, and they didn’t give up big chances or take bad defensive zone penalties when they did get hemmed in. For a team that was basically a fire drill defensively for much of October, that’s an encouraging sign.

Johnson had a nice assessment of it after the game: “I thought we played really well defensively. I said the last couple games, everybody’s had a lot more confidence in our group. Everybody’s a lot better defensively and we’re trusting that I’m going to make saves when there’s saves to be made, guys are gonna block shots, more and more structure, there’s confidence I think as a group defensively and that shows.”

It is, of course, Chicago’s game-winning goal. The Flames pressed afterward, but didn’t have enough time to get a late goal of their own.

Brodie didn’t get assists on Calgary’s first two goals, but if there was any justice in the hockey world he would have. He was huge in creating both of those scoring sequences, and was generally crisp, clean and dangerous all evening.

Monahan and Bennett were also quite good.

(Percentage stats are even strength. Game score is overall.)

The Flames power play had some nice chances, but lacked some finish. One big challenge for them is the presence of Linden Vey on the unit that has Monahan, Brouwer, Brodie and Hamilton. It’s a challenge because Vey isn’t quite as offensively gifted than his linemates, and he’s primarily on the PP to facilitate quick one-timers with his right shot.

Are you checking out our Twitter moments during games? Do it, or else Mike will be sad. Don’t make Mike sad!

Adam Fox had two assists in Harvard’s 5-2 win over Boston College.

Dillon Dube had his first goal of the season for Kelowna and it was a dandy.

“I thought we played well. Needed a little bit more out of our specialty teams, but I thought overall we played a good game. It’s just unfortunate what happened at the end.” – Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan assesses his team’s performance against Chicago.

“He did a good play. He pulled it, and it was right in that shoulder pocket there. That’s a tough one for me. I just tried to get a piece of it and try to get as much as I can, again, kinda lucky, it goes right up and then drops behind me. I don’t know who put it in or what happened. After I made the save, I didn’t know where it was. You don’t want to let a goal in with three minutes left. It’s a lucky, lucky goal. Just gotta move on.” – Flames goalie Chad Johnson on Chicago’s game-winning goal.

“I think we did a pretty good job containing them, keeping them on the outside and they didn’t get too many good looks. That was a positive we can take, for sure..” – Flames winger Sam Bennett on the club’s improved defensive zone play against Chicago.

The Flames (7-11-1) hit the road for their longest road trip of the season starting tomorrow. They’ll play in Detroit on Sunday. They’re back at home on November 30 when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs.