The Calgary Flames let 55 minutes of quality play slip away in a crushing 3-2 overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken.

It’s a Team Game – It ended up being a result where the Flames handed a surefire win to the Kraken. It’s a two-goal lead late and a puck bounces directly to Shane Wright in the slot – that’ll happen. Then Coronato makes a beautiful rush and establishes possession low. That is very important because he was the first player that didn’t chip and chase after the Kraken scored. The problem then starts with the defence pinching causing Huberdeau to have to cover defence. The puck ends up on Huberdeau’s stick as the last man back and he – being the forward that he is – has no concept to make the safe play and either rim it around the boards, go to your partner, or go back up the boards. He makes the choice most wingers would and instead tries to make one extra move and ends up springing the Kraken in on a breakaway for the tying goal. None of it was necessary – it all was going the way you would want it to go, and they handed it away.

Corsi King – Joel Farabee (65.91 CF%) leads the way for the first time as a Flames player. A massive advantage in shot attempts. Morgan Frost (48.77 per cent) and Yegor Sharangovich (57.08 per cent) have developed some instant chemistry so adding Farabee in to continue playing off that budding relationship was a good play. Frost is quickly becoming the go-to guy for Ryan Huska as he got to start overtime. Nazem Kadri (55.95 per cent) got to head out second – honestly with how Frost was playing it was the right play. Sharangovich found himself with more open space than he has all year but seems to have caught a bit of Kuzmenko’s “I won’t shoot the puck” bug he had. You didn’t get a five-year deal because you have the eye of Joe Thornton, let it rip.

Taken By Chance – In the middle of the game the announcement for the final team Canada roster spot came down with the honours going to Drew Doughty. A great player in his own right with a Hall of Fame history – can’t dispute the two cups, the Norris, and the Olympic gold. If this was on recent play though, MacKenzie Weegar (67.71 SCF% || 71.88 HDCF%) would be a lock. The 4 Nations Face-Of is an NHL sanctioned event though, not the true best-on-best that Olympic hockey brings us, so taking the established star from an American market is understandable. I just hope Weegar knows he deserved to be chosen. Tonight, he basically did all of the heavy lifting in his minutes as I watched Miromanov (74.80 per cent || 82.26 per cent) make ill-timed pinches, lose his positioning off the rush, and genuinely fail to deny zone entries. None of it ever gets too exposed because Weegar has always has his partner covered. If he could get a reliable defence partner, he could start to focus on offence as well. Ilya Solovyov’s (44.70 per cent || 39.49 per cent) first game after the call-up looked alright. If the wingers would stop failing to clear the defensive zone so often the defence would look a good chunk better.

xGF% – The fourth line was very limited, but I feel it’s a place Martin Pospisil (88.83 per cent) can thrive. He’s certainly showing he lacks a top 6 scoring punch at the NHL level, but his top end speed and elite forechecking make him someone you simply can’t take out of the lineup. The fourth line makes a great home for him. I wish they would try him out at centre again in that bottom line role – Klapka would have made more of an impact than Kevin Rooney (77.02 per cent). In tight games like this that extra goal matters and the Flames current make-up does nothing to contribute to any form of offence.

After being critical of him last game Mikael Backlund (44.88 per cent) got back to his quality defensive play. Giving him AHL journeyman Dryden Hunt (44.88 per cent) isn’t exactly a move that makes me believe some form of an offensive burst is coming, but at least Hunt works hard every shift and makes the smart play at the blue line. Hopefully any skater that was gassed uses this break to rejuvenate. After it’s over the Flames will (hopefully) get Kevin Bahl and Connor Zary back as they try to navigate a gauntlet of a road trip out east.

In The Crease – If anyone had a right to lose it on a teammate it would have to be Wolf after the turnover that led to the second goal directly contributed to a loss. He almost had that one too – got his glove on it. Wolf made five bell saves, had great rebound control, and looked to be in complete control. A broken play lead to the first goal – one where the shooter didn’t have his stick tied up. Overtime on the penalty kill is unfair to the goaltender as well – the shot through a screen was designed and well placed by Beniers. That was the best loss we may see Wolf play all season. 1.72 expected goals against at 5v5 with two getting behind him.