Post-Game: Flames flattened by Habs

For the second consecutive game, the Calgary Flames were out-played but David Rittich was good. This time the Flames couldn’t muster enough goals and lost to the Montreal Canadiens by a 3-2 score.

The Flames were fairly flat in the opening 20 minutes, but David Rittich was sharp early on. Late in the period, the Flames managed to open the scoring. Mikael Backlund flung the puck towards the front of the net from below the goal line. The pass went through Michael Frolik’s legs (and past a few Canadiens defenders) right to Matthew Tkachuk, and Tkachuk’s quick wrister went off Frolik’s shinpad and beat Carey Price to make it 1-0 Flames.

Shots were 12-7 Canadiens in the first while chances were 6-6.

The Flames spent much of the second period seemingly sitting back, hoping that Rittich could hold onto this one. Given that there were 40 minutes left in regulation, that seemed like a bad strategy – and it was.

Midway through the period TJ Brodie took a dumb retaliation penalty behind the play. On the ensuing power play Frolik broke his stick and the momentary confusion allowed Jeff Petry to power a one-timer from the side boards past Rittich to tie the game at 1-1. A few minutes later the Habs got another power play and Brendan Gallagher redirected a Petry shot from the slot to make it 2-1.

To add insult to injury, the Flames kept turning over the puck in the neutral zone in the final four minutes of the second period. Jonathan Drouin beat Rittich short side off the rush – catching Rittich moving right to left – to make it 3-1. Shots were 21-8 Canadiens and chances 9-5 Canadiens.

The Flames finally showed signs of life in the final 10 minutes of the third period. Tkachuk entered zone, found Backlund with a cross-zone pass for a scoring chance, and Elias Lindholm buried a rebound in-close to make it 3-2.

But that’s as close as the Flames got. Shots were 8-6 Flames but chances were 4-4.

Rittich was good, but almost nobody else was. The Flames lost the special teams battle – their PP went 0-for-5 and their penalty kill went 3-for-5 – and looked very tentative in both their defensive zone and neutral zone play.

In short: the Flames looked like a confused, disorganized bunch.

Rittich. He made many, many saves and held the Flames in the game for longer than they deserved to be there.

Petry’s goal – with Brodie in the box and Frolik waving his hands around due to a broken stick – finally swung the game back to the Canadiens. Montreal had been generating more chances all game and getting nothing from it. The floodgates opened and the Flames were never in the game again.

Johnny Gaudreau briefly left the game after being flattened in the corner by Jamie Benn. He returned and finished the game.

With the Flames down a couple goals for much of the third period, Bill Peters shuffled lines again. Among the third period trios: Bennett-Backlund-Neal, Gaudreau-Monahan-Tkachuk and Frolik-Ryan-Lindholm. (The fourth line stayed intact.)

The Flames (5-4-0) fly home tonight. They practice tomorrow and host the Pittsburgh Penguins at the ‘Dome on Thursday night.