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Calgary Flames Post-Game: Flames can’t beat the Canucks’ heat in Abbotsford
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Photo credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
Ryan Pike
Sep 26, 2024, 01:14 EDT
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The Calgary Flames hit the midway point of their exhibition schedule on Wednesday evening when they visited their old minor-league stomping grounds, scenic Abbotsford, to face the Vancouver Canucks.
It wasn’t nearly as one-sided as their three prior pre-season affairs, as the Flames and Canucks played a pretty spirited, back-and-forth contest. The Flames just couldn’t hold onto a late third period lead, ultimately falling to the Canucks by a 4-3 score in overtime.

The rundown

This game was pretty even and back-and-forth, with the Canucks having a slight edge in quantity and quality of chances throughout.
Late in the first, the Canucks opened the scoring, with Max Sasson getting a weird one. He entered the zone off the rush and threw the puck towards the net, seemingly intending to find Jake DeBrusk out front. Instead, his pass glanced off a Flames defender and in past Dustin Wolf to give Vancouver a 1-0 lead.
The Flames drew even early in the second period. Off an offensive zone draw, the Flames made a couple quick passes and Jake Bean fired a shot past Jiri Patera to make it a 1-1 game.
But late in the second, the Canucks struck again to take the lead once more. This time, a Vincent Desharnais shot was deflected by DeBrusk past Wolf to give the Canucks a 2-1 advantage.
But the Flames answered back in the third period. First, they drew even as Sam Honzek converted a nice pass from fellow Slovak forward Martin Pospisil to make it a 2-2 game.
A little later, Dryden Hunt was sent in alone off a nice pass from Andrew Basha – it may or may not have been off-side, but there’s no coach’s challenges or reviews in the pre-season – and Hunt beat Patera to give the Flames a 3-2 lead.
But alas, the Flames couldn’t hold their lead. A late puck-over-glass delay of game penalty to Pospisil gave the Canucks a two-man advantage after they pulled their netminder for the extra attacker. And Daniel Sprong moseyed past the Flames’ defenders and beat Devin Cooley with a nice move to tie the game at 3-3.
In overtime, Pospisil was upended behind the Vancouver net, giving the Canucks a 3-on-2 rush the other way. DeBrusk converted a nice cross-crease pass past Cooley to give the Canucks the 4-3 overtime victory.

Why the Flames lost in OT

The Flames sent a pretty young lineup to Abbotsford, and their game management wasn’t perfect – they allowed a goal against in the final minute of all three periods.

Red Warrior

Honzek has looked progressively better and better throughout the pre-season, and he was very good against Vancouver.
A few other Flames also stood out, including Wolf, Pospisil and Basha.

Turning point

Yes, it’s the pre-season. No, the results don’t matter. But you still hate to see the Flames take a careless puck-over-glass penalty late and then allow a late lead to slip through their fingers.

This and that

Here’s how the Flames lined up:
Zary-Pospisil-Coronato
Pelletier-Morton-Duehr
Hunt-Schwindt-Basha
Honzek-Kirkland-Gridin
Bean-Barrie
Tinordi-Poirier
Solovyov-Parekh
Dustin Wolf started the game and played two periods, with Devin Cooley relieving him to start the third period.
As noted on social media by Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg: Jake Bean didn’t play in the third period.

Up next

The Flames are back on the practice ice on Thursday. They’re back in exhibition game action on Saturday night when they host the Vancouver Canucks.

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