Post-Game Wrap-Up: Rittich silences the cannon

Nobody likes covering games in Columbus because they have that stupid cannon that goes off when the Blue Jackets score. Well, David Rittich was sparkling in the Calgary Flames’ lone visit to Nationwide Arena of the season. The cannon did not go off, as the Flames won via a 3-0 shutout on Saturday night.

The Flames got on the board early in a way that likely seemed weirdly familiar to them. Joonas Korpisalo played the puck and tried a Mike Smith style dump-out of his zone. He didn’t perform it amazingly well, though, and Johnny Gaudreau knocked the puck down. A couple passes later and Sean Monahan put a shot under Korpisalo’s arm to give Calgary a 1-0 advantage.

Shots were 9-9 and scoring chances 9-5 Flames in the opening period.

The Flames added to their lead midway through the second period. A nice pass from Noah Hanifin sprung Derek Ryan on a rush and he beat out two Columbus defenders to get a shot off. The two defenders were so committed to attacking Ryan that nobody noticed Sam Bennett slinking into the zone and he deposited a pass from Ryan past a twisting Korpisalo to give the visitors a 2-0 lead.

Shots were 18-10 Blue Jackets and chances 9-4 Blue Jackets in the second period.

With a two goal lead, the Flames were content just to ride the game out in the third period. They got some looks but couldn’t beat Korpisalo. But they didn’t need to. Matthew Tkachuk added an empty-netter to make it a 3-0 final.

Shots were 16-10 Blue Jackets and chances 9-8 Blue Jackets in the final frame.

They were a little bit better than Columbus in every aspect of the game. Their special teams were better. They gave them fewer good looks at even strength. And they made fewer mistakes than the Jackets did.

All in all while it wasn’t a perfect 60 minutes of hockey, it was possibly their most consistent outing of the season.

We’re getting repetitive here, but David Rittich made 43 saves. It’s gotta be him.

Stick taps to Tkachuk (six shots and a goal) and Bennett (four shots and a goal) as well.

Let’s go with the first goal. The Flames have been iffy in the opening periods of games so far this season, but they were engaged and opportunistic early in this one and it gave them a lot of momentum (and breathing room).

Data via Natural Stat Trick. Percentage stats are 5v5.

Expect Milan Lucic to get at least a stern lecture from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety after he absolutely clobbered Kole Sherwood after the Columbus forward poked at David Rittich’s glove looking for a rebound before a whistle.

If it was a fight, that would be one thing: while fighting involves some risk, at least there’s the basic awareness for both parties that you could get punched. This one? Lucic just clocked the guy.

The Flames (8-6-2) are immediately off to scenic Washington, D.C. to pay tribute to the World Series champion Washington Nationals. They’ll also play the Capitals tomorrow night in the final installment of their five game road trip.

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