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<p>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.</p>
<p>The Flames earned a point in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Senators.</p>
<h1>The rundown</h1>
<p>The opening period was pretty even, with both teams getting.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">🔥FLAMES GOAL🔥</p>
<p>Blake Coleman opens the scoring at the Saddledome! </p>
<p>🎥: Sportsnet | NHL<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Flames?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Flames</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoSensGo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoSensGo</a> <a href="https://t.co/7wB3TyBdO9">pic.twitter.com/7wB3TyBdO9</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1869933601778749808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>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.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Nick Cousins ties the game for Ottawa. </p>
<p>🎥: Sportsnet | NHL<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Flames?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Flames</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoSensGo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoSensGo</a> <a href="https://t.co/UeZWTsOjzn">pic.twitter.com/UeZWTsOjzn</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1869937425516028305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>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).</p>
<p>Neither team scored in the second, but the period was oddly eventful.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Dan Vladar has to bat this puck out of the air as it bounces awkwardly off of his stick. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Sens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Flames?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Flames</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoSensGo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoSensGo</a> <a href="https://t.co/f3CyfDO7C7">pic.twitter.com/f3CyfDO7C7</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Pesky Sickos (@PeskySickos) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeskySickos/status/1869948467281305975?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>Second period shots were 12-9 Senators. Five-on-five scoring chances were 9-6 Flames (high-danger chances were 3-2 Senators).</p>
<p>The Flames and Senators exchanged third period goals&#8230; during a Flames power play.</p>
<p>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.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">A Nazem Kadri turnover leads to Ottawa scoring a short handed goal. </p>
<p>🎥: Sportsnet | NHL <a href="https://t.co/1mc9Z7xpbi">pic.twitter.com/1mc9Z7xpbi</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1869958866915799329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>But just after that, Matt Coronato threw a puck on net from a sharp angle. The puck glanced off Ullmark&#8217;s pads, bounced off Jonathan Huberdeau&#8217;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.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">🔥FLAMES GOAL🔥</p>
<p>The puck goes in off Jonathan Huberdeau&#39;s skate and in! </p>
<p>We&#39;re all tied up!</p>
<p>🎥: Sportsnet | NHL <a href="https://t.co/xqAu5tBXUM">pic.twitter.com/xqAu5tBXUM</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1869959519385592282?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>Third period shots were 13-7 Flames. Five-on-five scoring chances were 10-3 Flames (high-danger chances were 4-2 Flames).</p>
<p>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.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Brady Tkachuk ends the game in overtime. </p>
<p>🎥: Sportsnet | NHL <a href="https://t.co/Y3fEapTHKZ">pic.twitter.com/Y3fEapTHKZ</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1869967827907817588?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>(Huberdeau went into the boards hard and the Flames protested a missed call to the officials after the goal.)</p>
<h1>Why the Flames got a point</h1>
<p>Let&#8217;s call a spade a spade here: this wasn&#8217;t exactly a clash of offensive titans, but it was rather a pretty tactical battle where both teams got good goaltending. We didn&#8217;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.</p>
<h1>Red Warrior</h1>
<p>Let&#8217;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.</p>
<h1>Turning point</h1>
<p>Man, that double-minor to Mikael Backlund in the second period could&#8217;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.</p>
<h1>This and that</h1>
<p>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.</p>
<h1>Up next</h1>
<p>The Flames (15-11-7) finish off their pre-Christmas schedule on Saturday afternoon when they play the Chicago Blackhawks.</p>
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<em class="text-lg italic">This article is brought to you by bet365.</em>

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.
<h1>The rundown</h1>
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.

https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1869933601778749808

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.

https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1869937425516028305

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.

https://twitter.com/PeskySickos/status/1869948467281305975

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.

https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1869958866915799329

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.

https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1869959519385592282

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.

https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1869967827907817588

(Huberdeau went into the boards hard and the Flames protested a missed call to the officials after the goal.)
<h1>Why the Flames got a point</h1>
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.
<h1>Red Warrior</h1>
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.
<h1>Turning point</h1>
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.
<h1>This and that</h1>
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.
<h1>Up next</h1>
The Flames (15-11-7) finish off their pre-Christmas schedule on Saturday afternoon when they play the Chicago Blackhawks.
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