Post-Game: Flames end skid, tame Hawks in overtime

The Calgary Flames have let points slip through their fingers lately. They came into Saturday night’s game with the Chicago Blackhawks on a six game losing skid where they had leads and blew them in each game. They never led in Saturday’s game, but when they had a deficit they seemed hungry to erase it. They made a nice statement in this one, dominating Chicago in the third period to tie things up and force overtime. They beat the Blackhawks 4-3 in extra time, showing a desperation and poise we haven’t seem from them in roughly a month.

The first period was very back and forth, with the Flames coming out a bit flat. Anthony Duclair booted a puck past Mike Smith – with his feet – and it was waved off. A little later, Patrick Kane found Nick Schmaltz and he one-timed the puck past Smith to make it 1-0 Chicago. The Flames pushed back hard for the rest of the period and nearly evened things up. Shots were 13-12 Flames and scoring chances were 12-10 Chicago – though they were 7-2 for them at one point.

Calgary got dinged for a too-many-men penalty – their only disadvantage of the entire game – and paid for it. Brent Seabrook’s point shot missed the net, but Kane jumped on the rebound while the penalty killers were still scrambling to reposition themselves and passed it to Vinnie Hinostroza for a tap-in to make it 2-0 Chicago. But the Flames responded soon after. Travis Hamonic made a head’s up pass to spring Matt Stajan, and the veteran (playing in NHL game number 977) beat Jeff Glass to make it 2-1.

The home side kept pressing and jumped all over a lazy Hawks clearing attempt. Micheal Ferland fed Johnny Gaudreau and his wrister leaked through glass to tie the game at 2-2.

 

But the tie wouldn’t last, as T.J. Brodie whiffed on a pass at the offensive blueline and Duclair stole it and beat Smith on a breakaway to make it 3-2. Shots were 14-12 Flames and chances were 12-10 Flames, but the home side really pushed the pace in the latter stages of the period.

Calgary was full of jump in the third, pressing to tie up the game. They finally did it midway through the period. Connor Murphy tried to reserve the puck behind the net, but Mikael Backlund’s active stick grabbed it from its path and fed it to the net-front for Michael Frolik to bop into the net to make it 3-3.

The Flames pressed and pressed, but couldn’t get another one in regulation. Shots were 10-3 Flames and chances were 12-4 Flames.

And Sean Monahan buried a nice feed from Brodie in overtime to win this one 4-3.

The Flames had every excuse to fold up after they went down 2-0. Heck, they had every excuse to fold up once they went down 3-2 off Duclair’s second period goal. But with key points on the line, they were all over Chicago in the third and out-worked them en route to capturing some big points.

It was not a perfect game, but it was really nice to see them go get a game after letting so many of them slip through their fingers lately.

It’s a joint award to the entire 3M Line (Backlund, Tkachuk and Frolik), as they were superb and really carried things for the Flames throughout this game. But aside from a handful of players – particularly the third pairing – nobody was all that bad tonight.

The Blackhawks were holding on for dear life in the third period, but the Frolik goal to tie it really seemed to let the air out of their balloon. They had some jump later on, but the Flames were largely in control of the game from that goal until Monahan’s OT winner.

The Heat got goals from Marek Hrivik, Morgan Klimchuk, Emile Poirier and Austin Carroll, while Tyler Parsons made 32 saves for his first AHL win as Stockton beat San Jose 4-2. // Glenn Gawdin had a hat trick as Swift Current beat Kootenay 5-3. // Matthew Phillips had two goals as Victoria beat Seattle 3-2 in overtime.

Monahan had 11 scoring chances (all situations) in this game.

The Flames now have 60 points with 30 games remaining. They need 35 points over their remaining schedule – the equivalent of a 17-12-1 record to hit the 95 point mark that’ll probably be the playoff cut-off.

The Flames (26-18-8) are off tomorrow, then practice Monday and head off to Chicago for a Tuesday night meeting with the Blackhawks to kick off a six-game, two-week road trip.