Quips and Quotes: Flames beat Islanders 3-1

The Calgary Flames beat the New York Islanders by a 3-1 score on Tuesday night. Here are selected reactions from players and coaches following the game.

The Flames continued a strong finish to the month of February with another win in a tight game. They were tied after two periods and then grabbed hold of the game with a pair of goals.

Flames head coach Bill Peters praised the team’s five-on-five play.

“I think our guys came in after 40 and got re-focused in a 1-1 game on the road,” said Peters. “Liked a lot of the things that we did five-on-five. At the end of the day we found a way, but at the end of the day, too, we’re plus-one on the speciality teams, which is important. So the penalty kill did a good job and Smitty was solid.”

Peters noted that he wasn’t fond of the team’s second period lull – a pair of bad shifts hemmed in their defensive zone that were followed by a pair of successive penalties. But he liked the rest of their game overall.

The Flames employ two goaltenders. “Big Save Dave” Rittich was superb early on when Mike Smith struggled. Rittich had some challenges following the All-Star Break, so Smith is getting more starts now.

He turns 37 in March. There’s no telling how many NHL games he has left in him. But wacky saves like this one reflect that he really, really, wants to win.

“The guy walks in, kind of a dead angle,” said Smith. “And then it’s off my pad and back out front. At that point, you’re just selling out trying to get something in the way of it and managed to get a glove on it.”

Smith, who noted that he’ll “be okay,” has won his last five starts. If nothing else, his strong play has given Rittich a bit of a break and a chance to tweak his game a little bit.

The Flames led the NHL in third period goals for (93, more than any other team has scored in any period) and third period goals against (49). Their +44 third period goal differential is the most one-sided mark of any team in the NHL.

It’s hard to say what drives it, but the Flames have been a group all season that’s found ways to grab hold of games when they’re up for grabs. Call it luck, skill, maturity or whatever other term comes to mind, but whatever it is has put them in a great position with 19 regular season games remaining.