Once again, the Calgary Flames kept things close but couldn’t get that last bounce in a 4-3 OT loss to the Boston Bruins.

It’s a Team Game – It was not a quality start for the Flames, but they bounced back quickly. The Boston Bruins have been struggling so keeping things close was a necessity. Calgary came out swinging with some heavy pressure in the second period – as soon as it waned the Bruins got two goals in swift succession. After leading in play and momentum that was just a slap to the face. A few minor defensive gaffs could have set them back. Instead, they did what the Calgary Flames have come to be known to do: never quit. A nice deflection gets them close and then an amazing rush from Kadri got things back to even. No Coronato magic this time, but a point in this game felt alright.

Corsi King – Tyson Barrie (64.18 CF%) really has arose to the top of the guys battling for a regular spot. His offensive game is as advertised and if the team can get some extended possession, he can help them extend it or score some goals off the faceoff. Asking Brayden Pachal (64.04 per cent) to cover for the defensive zone weaknesses alone is a lot, but I think he has done an admirable job. Jonathan Huberdeau (63.02 per cent) led the forward core in ratio while Mikael Backlund (55.90 per cent) had the most attempts amongst forwards with 18.

Taken By Chance – There is one guarantee with the Flames, and I will write about it every day I get the pleasure of watching them play together. Mikael Backlund (65.44 SCF% || 100 HDCF%) and Blake Coleman (60.62 per cent || 100 per cent) are the perfect hockey pairing. You can trust them in any game situation, and they deliver no matter what. Matthew Tkachuk and Andrew Mangiapane got learn at the school of Backlund – now it’s Coronato’s (75.82 per cent || 100 per cent) turn, and he has been utilizing the opportunity well. On the flip side of things is Yegor Sharangovich (39.80 per cent || 19.80 per cent) who will get praised by many for getting the second goal, but I would like to see some better play at 5v5.

xGF% – Nazem Kadri (50.56 per cent) was due for a goal. His production hitting what he achieved last year is an unfair expectation – in my opinion. His goal came after a spectacular shift for his line which saw Connor Zary (39.93 per cent) almost put the puck in the net on a between the legs move out front. Zary continues to be the player with the most creativity on the ice. Yes, even more so than linemate Kuzmenko (35.65 per cent) because Zary’s moves/dekes have actually succeeded in getting decent chances off. They also come off his tape at 5v5.

In The Crease – As night’s go for goaltenders I would say this might be Wolf’s worst performance of the year – and it was still pretty decent. I loved him in the latter half when they needed him to stand tall. He is unphased by any goal going in and can reset almost instantaneously. Stone cold nerves. Obligatory comment on the fact his athleticism is off the chart. 1.84 expected goals against on 25 shots with 2 high danger and 1 medium danger chance against.