Sharks 3, Flames 2 (SO) post-game embers: Almost good enough

The Flames played well, just as they did in their first game against the Sharks. They went toe-to-toe. These are back-to-back 3-2 losses, and there really isn’t any shame in that – other than the part where they aren’t coming away with more points. And they really need to start doing that.

Horrific Montreal game aside, the Flames have legitimately been playing well lately. They’ve also been hitting a lot of posts and missing a ton of wide open nets to comical extents, and that, combined with a powerplay still struggling to find its footing, has been contributing to a lack of points. They should probably have at least another three or four points from the last two weeks alone, which– hey, that’d have them a little further separated from the pack with a little over half of the season to go.

There are two different ways to look at this. The first is that the Flames are falling back into a pack with a ton of other wildcard hopefuls, even though they’re ultimately playing well. It’s like entering the third period with a 2-1 lead: things are going well, but not as well as they could be, and they’re kind of just hanging on and oh, look, it went wrong. The coin flip didn’t fall in their favour and now they’re doomed.

Then there’s the part where they’re ultimately playing well, but that final piece they have no control over – you know, essentially luck – isn’t going in their favour. And it’s not guaranteed to ever right itself, there’s no guarantee the Flames stop missing those wide open nets and start scoring again. But at least you have reason to hope it does – and that longer-term underlying trend is much more likely to bring about positive results, if they can just get that chance.

In the mean time, the Flames lost a coin flip after losing a top six forward and playing their backup goalie on the road in his fourth career start. Sam Bennett went pointless for 15 games but he got time and a minor adjustment and he looks great now. The sky isn’t actually falling.

The bad news is that David Rittich is no longer perfect when it comes to starting NHL games. The good news is he at least gets a point in every game he starts, which is equally as sustainable.

Seriously, though, Rittich faced 32 shots, and he stopped 30 of them. He faced a very good team and made a number of great saves. He didn’t have much of a chance on either of the goals that beat him, and neither of them were backbreakers. He continues to exude a very calming presence in net. He tracks pucks well, he doesn’t scramble, he doesn’t mentally break when one beats him, and he gives his team a chance to win whenever he sets foot in the crease.

He stared down some of the best players in the world – guys who have been Olympians, guys who would keep being Olympians if it was a thing this year – and beat them one-on-one (shootouts excluded, because those are whole other beasts). Rittich is, so far, looking like everything anybody could want in a back-up goaltender. So it’s probably time, with this earned confidence, he starts picking up more starts. Because he hasn’t done a single thing to prove he doesn’t deserve them.

Jaromir Jagr returned to the lineup, and he looked oh-so-ready to score at first. Then Michael Frolik got hurt, and he promptly got promoted to his spot.

It was a lot to ask of him in his return, especially now that we’re at the point where we’re really, really hoping the holiday break gave him the extended rest he needs to put that nagging groin injury behind him. But then to have to go up against Brent Burns and Joe Thornton in the defensive zone? Talk about not easing someone back into the game.

The Flames didn’t really have a better option, though. Jagr’s underlying numbers weren’t great – neither were Mikael Backlund’s or Matthew Tkachuk’s, for that matter (but he did fare better with them) – but things could have turned out significantly worse than they did.

In the meantime, his 13:06 played was actually the second lowest among all healthy forwards, and he still put up three shots on net. Hopefully it’s all a step in the right direction, but those offensive zone starts are going to have to come back (Mark Jankowski’s line, for example, had 100% offensive zone starts and looked great with them – but there are only so many of those to hand out).

Mark Giordano led the way in ice time thanks to a lot of special teams time, but T.J. Brodie was right up there, including 2:38 in overtime – tied with Johnny Gaudreau for the most overtime minutes anyone on the Flames saw.

Brodie and Giordano were the only defencemen to get a sniff at overtime, which is a little odd considering that Dougie Hamilton is here, too, and he’s also rather good and offensively gifted. But Brodie was significantly more aggressive than we normally get to see him, all over the Sharks and doing everything in his power to advance the puck forward or try to get a scoring chance, without shirking his defensive responsibilities and breaking up plays. To come out with that after playing hard, heavy minutes for a full 60 beforehand – it was just absolutely fantastic to watch.

Like, oh yeah, there’s that guy who showed so much potential and played so amazingly well with Giordano like two years ago. It’s good to see him again. And just like with Bennett, probably just like with this team as a whole: a great reminder to not give up on anyone because of a bad stretch.

Moving Backlund to the powerplay’s top unit did provide some success, but only when it got the chance. Otherwise, the Flames spent way too much time chasing pucks and trying to get in the offensive zone again. And getting a powerplay with a one-goal lead and letting the other team get the best chances out of it? That’s just unforgivable stuff.

Really cool to see Garnet Hathaway opening the scoring, especially considering how the Stockton Heat had just been playing in that same exact building a couple of hours earlier. At this point I’d say Jankowski is the only Heat call-up who will comfortably still be a Flame when they return to San Jose in March, but Hathaway (and Rittich, for that matter) are making pretty strong cases. Though of course, a lot can happen in three months.

Michael Stone played 12:42. Brett Kulak played 9:32. I get that that can be the case when a team’s top four is finally settling in, but those are some awfully light minutes. Curious to see if it’ll be the same story after the second game in the back-to-back.

Johnny Gaudreau looked a lot more engaged. Sean Monahan, too, for that matter. If the Flames can keep this level of play up and those two start putting up points again, then everything should be in fine shape – maybe even better, with the incremental progress that has been made in the areas of the third line, second defence pairing, and backup goalie.