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Flames Post-Game: Flames lose a tight game to the Senators in overtime
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Photo credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Ryan Pike
By Ryan Pike
Dec 19, 2024, 23:49 ESTUpdated: Dec 20, 2024, 00:12 EST
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The Calgary Flames hosted the Ottawa Senators at the Saddledome on Thursday night. As has become tradition, it was low-scoring, tight-checking, and settled in overtime.
The Flames earned a point in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Senators.

The rundown

The opening period was pretty even, with both teams getting.
Midway through the first period, the Flames opened the scoring. Kevin Bahl pinched down from the point and threw the puck on net from a sharp angle. Linus Ullmark made the initial save, but the rebound shot back out to Blake Coleman. Coleman buried the loose change to give the Flames a 1-0 lead.
Late in the first, the Senators answered back with an odd one. Brayden Pachal swatted down a Jake Sanderson point shot. As it hit the ice, an alert Nick Cousins swiped the puck through a crowd and into the Flames net to make it 1-1.
First period shots were 8-7 Flames. Via Natural Stat Trick, five-on-five scoring chances were 12-6 Flames (high-danger chances were 5-4 Flames).
Neither team scored in the second, but the period was oddly eventful.
The Senators had a four minute power play after Mikael Backlund clipped Brady Tkachuk with a high stick. With Backlund and Pachal (who was serving a fighting major) unavailable, the Flames killed off the double minor. Vladar made a pretty cool save, swatting a puck out of mid-air.
Second period shots were 12-9 Senators. Five-on-five scoring chances were 9-6 Flames (high-danger chances were 3-2 Senators).
The Flames and Senators exchanged third period goals… during a Flames power play.
First, Ridly Greig intercepted a pass at the blueline between Nazem Kadri and Rasmus Andersson. Vladar made the initial stop on the breakaway, but Greig got his own rebound and beat Vladar on the second effort to give the visitors a 2-1 lead.
But just after that, Matt Coronato threw a puck on net from a sharp angle. The puck glanced off Ullmark’s pads, bounced off Jonathan Huberdeau’s skate and into the open net. The goal was reviewed for a potential kicking motion, but the goal stood and tied the game at 2-2.
Third period shots were 13-7 Flames. Five-on-five scoring chances were 10-3 Flames (high-danger chances were 4-2 Flames).
The brief overtime period was end-to-end. The Flames had a rush chance that Ullmark stopped. Play went the other way and Vladar made the initial stop on Tim Stützle but Brady Tkachuk batted in the rebound to give the Senators a 3-2 victory.
(Huberdeau went into the boards hard and the Flames protested a missed call to the officials after the goal.)

Why the Flames got a point

Let’s call a spade a spade here: this wasn’t exactly a clash of offensive titans, but it was rather a pretty tactical battle where both teams got good goaltending. We didn’t see a ton of end-to-end rushes or high-octane offensive plays. Both teams were prepared to play a grinding game, and both teams executed that style of game pretty well. The Senators were just a bit more fortunate in burying their chances.

Red Warrior

Let’s give it to Vladar, who had to make a lot of big stops in this one – when the Flames had breakdowns, they tended to be big ones.

Turning point

Man, that double-minor to Mikael Backlund in the second period could’ve really sunk the Flames. Instead, their penalty kill stepped up and it did a lot to keep them in the thick of this game.

This and that

For a pair of teams that play twice a year, this was an oddly scrappy game. Brayden Pachal fought Nick Cousins in the second period, and Shane Pinto knocked down Martin Pospisil at the second period horn that led to a crowd to form and a lot of shouting between the two clubs.

Up next

The Flames (15-11-7) finish off their pre-Christmas schedule on Saturday afternoon when they play the Chicago Blackhawks.

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