<p>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.</p>
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<p>It wasn&#8217;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&#8217;t hold onto a late third period lead, ultimately falling to the Canucks by a 4-3 score in overtime.</p>
<h1>The rundown</h1>
<p>This game was pretty even and back-and-forth, with the Canucks having a slight edge in quantity and quality of chances throughout.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨Canucks Goal🚨</p>
<p>Max Sasson gets the Canucks on the board! <a href="https://t.co/h4tncElTHN">pic.twitter.com/h4tncElTHN</a></p>
<p>&mdash; CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) <a href="https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1839135385911165024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>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.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">🔥Flames Goal🔥</p>
<p>Jake Bean beats Jiri Patera with a nice wrist shot! </p>
<p>Tie game. 1-1 <a href="https://t.co/J1jCBZpa7a">pic.twitter.com/J1jCBZpa7a</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1839142406400172410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>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.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jake DeBrusk scores his first preseason goal as a Canuck! He tips home a Vincent Desharnais point shot. </p>
<p>2-1 Canucks <a href="https://t.co/XeVgZc3uiS">pic.twitter.com/XeVgZc3uiS</a></p>
<p>&mdash; CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) <a href="https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1839149917048025574?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>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.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">🔥Flames Goal🔥</p>
<p>Sam Honzek tips home a nice pass by Martin Pospisil!</p>
<p>It&#39;s 2-2 <a href="https://t.co/pIjrrYsbIo">pic.twitter.com/pIjrrYsbIo</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1839159232324616611?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>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&#8217;s no coach&#8217;s challenges or reviews in the pre-season – and Hunt beat Patera to give the Flames a 3-2 lead.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">🔥Flames Goal🔥</p>
<p>Andrew Basha springs Dryden Hunt in on a breakaway and he buries it! </p>
<p>3-2 Flames <a href="https://t.co/vMgEFNwcSg">pic.twitter.com/vMgEFNwcSg</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1839161306928054730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>But alas, the Flames couldn&#8217;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&#8217; defenders and beat Devin Cooley with a nice move to tie the game at 3-3.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Daniel Sprong scores a ridiculous goal! He dangles through the entire Flames team and ties the game at 3&#39;s! </p>
<p>We are off to overtime! <a href="https://t.co/fe341br8ao">pic.twitter.com/fe341br8ao</a></p>
<p>&mdash; CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) <a href="https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1839164184115753168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>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.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jake DeBrusk wins the game in overtime! </p>
<p>Canucks win 4-3! They move to 2-0-0 in the preseason! <a href="https://t.co/X6qHPjyvQp">pic.twitter.com/X6qHPjyvQp</a></p>
<p>&mdash; CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) <a href="https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1839165350077690310?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<h1>Why the Flames lost in OT<strong><br />
</strong></h1>
<p>The Flames sent a pretty young lineup to Abbotsford, and their game management wasn&#8217;t perfect – they allowed a goal against in the final minute of all three periods.</p>
<h1>Red Warrior</h1>
<p>Honzek has looked progressively better and better throughout the pre-season, and he was very good against Vancouver.</p>
<p>A few other Flames also stood out, including Wolf, Pospisil and Basha.</p>
<h1>Turning point</h1>
<p>Yes, it&#8217;s the pre-season. No, the results don&#8217;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.</p>
<h1>This and that</h1>
<p>Here&#8217;s how the Flames lined up:</p>
<p><span class="css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3">Zary-Pospisil-Coronato<br />
Pelletier-Morton-Duehr<br />
Hunt-Schwindt-Basha<br />
Honzek-Kirkland-Gridin </span></p>
<p><span class="css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3">Bean-Barrie<br />
Tinordi-Poirier<br />
Solovyov-Parekh </span></p>
<p>Dustin Wolf started the game and played two periods, with Devin Cooley relieving him to start the third period.</p>
<p>As noted on social media by Sportsnet 960&#8217;s Pat Steinberg: Jake Bean didn&#8217;t play in the third period.</p>
<h1>Up next</h1>
<p>The Flames are back on the practice ice on Thursday. They&#8217;re back in exhibition game action on Saturday night when they host the Vancouver Canucks.</p>


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.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2109" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="328"></div>
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.
<h1>The rundown</h1>
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.

https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1839135385911165024

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.

https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1839142406400172410

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.

https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1839149917048025574

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.

https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1839159232324616611

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.

https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1839161306928054730

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.

https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1839164184115753168

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.

https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1839165350077690310
<h1>Why the Flames lost in OT<strong>
</strong></h1>
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.
<h1>Red Warrior</h1>
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.
<h1>Turning point</h1>
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.
<h1>This and that</h1>
Here's how the Flames lined up:

<span class="css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3">Zary-Pospisil-Coronato
Pelletier-Morton-Duehr
Hunt-Schwindt-Basha
Honzek-Kirkland-Gridin </span>

<span class="css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3">Bean-Barrie
Tinordi-Poirier
Solovyov-Parekh </span>

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.
<h1>Up next</h1>
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.

Calgary Flames Post-Game: Flames can’t beat the Canucks’ heat in Abbotsford

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