Post-Game: Flames drop crucial contest to rebuilding Rangers

The Calgary Flames returned home from a two game road trip needing some points. On the road they played well in Dallas and weren’t rewarded, and played so-so against Colorado and lost handily. All the warts of the 2017-18 Flames club were on display during a 3-1 loss to the visiting (and rebuilding) New York Rangers.

In a game they had to have to keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race, the Flames were equal parts unlucky and sloppy (primarily in the second period) while peppering the Rangers with 51 shots.

The home side had a strong first period, but they ended up giving up the first goal. Within the first five minutes, Sean Monahan lost a defensive zone faceoff which resulted in a Rangers scoring chance. Jon Gillies made the first save, but couldn’t hold onto the puck and it squirted out of his equipment and Kevin Hayes poked it into the net for a 1-0 lead. The Flames pressed and tied the game later in the period, though. Michael Frolik, Matthew Tkachuk and Mikael Backlund generated oodles of chances, but Henrik Lundqvist made some very nice saves. But his last save knocked the puck out away from the slot and Brett Kulak wandered in from the point and scored with a slap shot to make it 1-1.

Shots were 19-9 Flames, scoring chances were 14-5 Flames.

Within the first minute of the second, Backlund was absolutely robbed by a great blocker save by Lundqvist. After that save, the Rangers went the other way and Gillies made a big save on Pavel Buchnevich… but the Rangers forward grabbed the rebound and tucked it behind Gillies to make it 2-1. The Flames pressed and pressed, but the Rangers extended their lead to 3-1 off a bad Flames line change. A wholesale Flames change – leaving Dougie Hamilton all by his lonesome – allowed Anthony DeAngelo a clear lane to spring Ryan Spooner and he snuck behind Hamilton and beat Gillies between the legs.

Shots were 12-8 Flames, but scoring chances were 10-5 Rangers.

Nobody scored in the third period, though the Flames pressed. Shots were 19-8 Flames and chances were 10-5 Flames, but they couldn’t get anything past Lundqvist.

Let’s get this out of the way: Lundqvist was really, really good in this game. He made three or four saves that were borderline criminal. The Rangers got better goaltending at key moments, but that’s probably to be expected when one goaltender is a veteran (and a probable Hall of Famer) and the other guy has played less than 10 games in the NHL.

But the Flames made a lot more mistakes, gaffes and miscues in this game than the Rangers – both with and without the puck. The Flames could’ve gotten a save or two to keep them in this game, and it’s completely fair to point the finger at Gillies. But the Flames were jumpy and rough with the puck throughout this game and a lot of the chances the Rangers got were a result of the Flames turning the puck over. They pressed way too much and things got away from them.

He scored a goal and played well, so let’s go with Kulak.

The third Rangers goal hurt. With Lundqvist playing out of his mind, the Flames could cling to the hope that a bounce would tie the game. But their lack of attention to detail on a line change gave the Rangers a breakaway and a two goal lead and from then on, the Flames were chasing.

D’Artagnan Joly had two assists in Baie-Comeau’s 6-5 shootout win over Chicoutimi.

Travis Hamonic fought Chris Kreider late in the second period. It was a thing that happened.

Henrik Lundqvist made 50 saves on his 36th birthday.

“I thought Nick looked like a crafty hockey player out there. Good defensively. He looked like he always hedges on the defensive side of the game. I think he won… he took 11 draws, he was seven and four. I thought he had some puck polish. Obviously looks like a defensive-minded NHL player to me.” – head coach Glen Gulutzan on Nick Shore’s performance in his debut with the Flames.

The Flames now have 73 points with 16 games remaining. They need 23 points over their remaining schedule – the equivalent of a 11-4-1 record – to hit the 96 point mark that’ll probably be the playoff cut-off.

In games that impact the Flames’ playoff chances: Colorado beat Minnesota 7-1, and Anaheim beat Columbus 4-2. The Flames are four points back of Los Angeles for the last Pacific Division spot and three points back of Anaheim for the last wild-card spot.

The Flames (32-25-9) practice tomorrow and Sunday, then fly to Pittsburgh for a date with the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions on Tuesday night.