Post-Game: Better than the worst

The Calgary Flames won on Monday night at the Saddledome. They were playing the National Hockey League’s worst team, the Colorado Avalanche, and handed them their 52nd regulation loss of the season. The Avalanche are bad and the Flames were better than them and won 4-2.

That said, it wasn’t exactly a game where the Flames looked like world-beaters. But they never trailed during the game and beat a team they really should be expected to beat.

The Flames got on the board early, as former Flame Joe Colborne gave them an early power play. Sean Monahan continued the trend of the St. Louis game on Saturday with an odd deflection off Erik Johnson’s stick to make it 1-0.

The Flames had several chances after that, but seemed to make one too many passes in the offensive zone and that’s all they got in the first 20 minutes. Shots were 9-6 Flames.

The home side connected again the second and doubled their lead. The culprits? Young Johnny Gaudreau and some guy named Micheal Ferland. Ferland biffed on an odd-man rush, followed up on the loose puck and then went to the net for a rebound off a Gaudreau chance from the side of the net to make it 2-0.

Once again, the Flames had a good many chances after that but couldn’t bury anything. Shots were 11-6 Flames.

Colorado refused to go away in the third, partially because the Flames seemed to lack the ability to make a simple outlet pass from their own end. The Flames got hemmed in a few times here and there. Sven Andrighetto scored on a power play opportunity after an initial shot missed the net and bounced off the back-boards and right to him for the tap in to make it 2-1. Troy Brouwer reinstated the two-goal lead with a nice wrister on the power play, shades of his power play goal from Saturday, to make it 3-1.

Andrighetto got another one with a low slapper through traffic that beat Elliott to make it 3-2. However, the Avalanche couldn’t get anything else. They took a neutral zone penalty with their goalie pulled and Gaudreau added an empty netter to make it 4-2 and seal this one.

Shots were 14-7 Colorado.

The Flames were better than Colorado tonight.

It’s not much of an accomplishment given how bad the Avalanche have been this season. The Flames arguably gave up too many good scoring chances and often had trouble clearing their own end. They’re probably guilty of playing down to their opposition, and this game really should not have been as close as it ended up being given how much time the Flames spent with the puck on their sticks.

That said, their power play was better than Colorado’s and their five on five play was much better than Colorado’s, defensive gaffes aside.

Ferland’s goal made it 2-0 and cemented a lead the Flames would never relinquish. Colorado tried to claw back from that point, but just couldn’t get enough pucks on net to do so.

Let’s go with Monahan, who had a four point evening.

Also good tonight? Hamilton, Giordano, the 3M Line, Gaudreau and Ferland. Heck, Sam Bennett was buzzing for much of the evening as well.

Chad Johnson was awarded the Peter Maher “Good Guy” Award by the traveling media, honouring him for being the most cooperative with the media. I’ll say this for Johnson, he’s always available by his stall after a bad showing or after giving up a rough goal. (The past two winners of the award? Joe Colborne, two seasons in a row.)

The assist on Ferland’s goal was Gaudreau’s 200th NHL point.

T.J. Brodie and Mark Stone were the only Flames without a shot on goal.

The Flames magic number to clinch a playoff spot began the night at 3. With the victory, their magic number is now 2; any combination of 2 Flames wins or Los Angeles losses clinches a playoff spot.

The Flames (43-29-4) practice tomorrow and then have a chance to officially clinch a playoff spot on Wednesday night when they host Jarome Iginla and the Los Angeles Kings.