<p><em class="text-lg italic">This article is brought to you by bet365.</em></p>
<p>The Calgary Flames returned home on Thursday night after a mixed bag of a two game road trip, hoping to have a better showing against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Unfortunately, the Flames brought some of their worst habits home with them.</p>
<p>The Flames had flashes of strong play, but their defensive miscues led to an 8-3 loss to the Lightning – their first regulation loss on home ice in over a month.</p>
<h1>The rundown</h1>
<p>The Flames opened the scoring 4:42 into the opening period off a rush sequence that didn&#8217;t go exactly as planned, but still resulted in a goal. Martin Pospisil attempted to pass across the slot to Jonathan Huberdeau on a two-on one. Unfortunately (for Calgary), Tampa&#8217;s Anthony Cirelli raced back and swept the puck away from Pospisil. Unfortunately (for Tampa) that swept puck glanced off defender Ryan McDonagh&#8217;s skate and went right to Huberdeau anyway, and Huberdeau buried the puck past Andrei Vasilevskiy to make it 1-0 Flames.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">🔥FLAMES GOAL🔥</p>
<p>Jonathan Huberdeau scores his 11th goal of the season!</p>
<p>🎥: Sportsnet | NHL <a href="https://t.co/FsJOwcGPOP">pic.twitter.com/FsJOwcGPOP</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1867393647291117743?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>But late in the period, Tampa struck back. Huberdeau couldn&#8217;t control the puck inside the Tampa blueline and Nikita Kucherov yoinked it away from him and raced off for a breakaway chance. He beat Dan Vladar on that breakaway to tie the game at 1-1.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jonathan Huberdeau turns the puck over to Nikita Kucherov and he makes the Flames pay. </p>
<p>🎥: Sportsnet | NHL <a href="https://t.co/OtsBPT0m6D">pic.twitter.com/OtsBPT0m6D</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1867400172696981651?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>First period shots were 9-9. Via Natural Stat Trick, five-on-five scoring chances were 15-6 Lightning (high-danger chances were 3-2 Lightning).</p>
<p>A lot happened in the second period. A few minutes into the period, Pospisil blocked a Rasmus Andersson point shot with his knee, going down in a heap and leaving the game for awhile.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Martin Pospisil takes a shot off the knee and looks to be in a lot of pain. </p>
<p>🎥: Sportsnet | NHL <a href="https://t.co/yP4qPsWcze">pic.twitter.com/yP4qPsWcze</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1867408176813146287?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>A little after Pospisil left the game, Tampa scored off the rush on a nice little sequence. They carried the puck into the zone, dropped the puck to Jake Guentzel, and he fired a shot from the top of the slot that beat Vladar glove-side to give the visitors a 2-1 lead.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jake Guentzel puts the Lightning up 2-1. </p>
<p>🎥: Sportsnet | NHL <a href="https://t.co/yvVopHZlFm">pic.twitter.com/yvVopHZlFm</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1867408422418976850?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Shortly after the Flames went down 2-1 – 30 seconds later – Jake Bean was called for holding. On the resulting Tampa power play, Brayden Point blasted a shot from the slot that beat Vladar and gave the Lightning a 3-1 lead.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Brayden Point scores on the power play. It&#39;s 3-1 Lightning. </p>
<p>🎥: Sportsnet | NHL <a href="https://t.co/n1budeYxwD">pic.twitter.com/n1budeYxwD</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1867409230128632264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>A little after <em>that</em>, Nazem Kadri was nabbed for a puck-over-glass delay-of-game minor. At the tail end of that power play, Cirelli jammed in a rebound around the blue paint after Vladar made the initial stop. That gave the Lightning their second power play goal of the period and a 4-1 lead.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="sv" dir="ltr">4-1 Tampa. </p>
<p>🎥: Sportsnet | NHL <a href="https://t.co/CsQuadQQNY">pic.twitter.com/CsQuadQQNY</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1867410743219695925?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>At that point, Pospisil returned to the Flames bench and they seemed to get their legs back.</p>
<p>The Flames answered back with a weird, pretty goal. Huberdeau attempted to spring Kadri into the Tampa zone with a bank pass through the neutral zone. Tampa defender J.J. Moser blew a tire and laid out trying to get his stick on the pass. Kadri leapt over Moser&#8217;s sprawled out body, nearly fell over himself and spun upon landing, then fired the puck past Vasilevskiy from the slot to cut the Tampa lead to 4-2.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="und" dir="ltr">🔥FLAMES GOAL🔥</p>
<p>Nazem Kadri scores a beauty! </p>
<p>🎥: Sportsnet | NHL <a href="https://t.co/A4XJVuU4v4">pic.twitter.com/A4XJVuU4v4</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1867411347417514446?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>And a little later, Connor Zary entered the Tampa zone, accepted a pass from Blake Coleman, and sniped a shot past Vasilevskiy&#8217;s glove (picking the top corner) to cut the Tampa lead down to 4-3.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">🔥FLAMES GOAL🔥</p>
<p>Connor Zary scores! He extends his point streak to four games! </p>
<p>🎥: Sportsnet | NHL <a href="https://t.co/lkXlIuzsvk">pic.twitter.com/lkXlIuzsvk</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1867412828183048453?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Second period shots were 8-7 Lightning. Five-on-five scoring chances were 10-5 Lightning (high-danger chances were 4-3 Lightning).</p>
<p>The Lightning pulled away in the third period.</p>
<p>Early in the period, the Flames couldn&#8217;t clear the zone and turned it over on attempted zone exits <em>twice</em>. Cirelli&#8217;s shot hit a body out front, but Brandon Hagel fired the puck past Vladar to make it 5-3.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tampa scores early in the 3rd period. It&#39;s 5-3 Lightning. </p>
<p>🎥: Sportsnet | NHL <a href="https://t.co/RKtaKkn8cX">pic.twitter.com/RKtaKkn8cX</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1867420497530765623?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>With Zary in the box for interference, Kucherov made a great play on the power play and sent Guentzel in all alone. He went top corner on Vladar to make it 6-3.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tampa scores their third power play goal of the game. </p>
<p>It&#39;s 6-3 Lightning </p>
<p>🎥: Sportsnet | NHL <a href="https://t.co/xtXh1oNh5n">pic.twitter.com/xtXh1oNh5n</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1867425385367187717?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>A little later, the Flames attackers were all caught up ice and left Kevin Bahl all along against Hagel and Conor Geekie. Geekie buried Hagel&#8217;s feed to make it 7-3.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">It&#39;s a great night for a Geekie goal! <a href="https://t.co/B3j8EwkGDd">pic.twitter.com/B3j8EwkGDd</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) <a href="https://twitter.com/TBLightning/status/1867427280085295551?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>As the game wound down, Daniil Miromanov dropped his stick and went back to get it. That left Guentzel unattended for a redirect of a feed from Point to make it 8-3.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="sv" dir="ltr">8-3 Tampa. </p>
<p>🎥: Sportsnet | NHL <a href="https://t.co/d7fAaFTX14">pic.twitter.com/d7fAaFTX14</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1867428271308382277?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>And that was how it ended.</p>
<p>Third period shots were 9-6 Lightning. Five-on-five scoring chances were 9-5 Lightning (high-danger chances were 4-2 Lightning).</p>
<h1>Why the Flames lost</h1>
<p>The Flames were way, way too leaky in their own zone and their puck management was dreadful. They had a few flashes of decent play, but they were way too permissive defensively.</p>
<h1>Red Warrior</h1>
<p>Let&#8217;s give it to Huberdeau by default. He had a goal and a really nice play on the Kadri goal.</p>
<h1>Turning point</h1>
<p>Tampa Bay scored two goals on two shots, 90 seconds apart, in the second period and grabbed hold of this game.</p>
<h1>This and that</h1>
<p>Ryan Lomberg returned to action after being absent from the road trip due to the birth of his third child. With his return, Jakob Pelletier was scratched.</p>
<p>Huberdeau&#8217;s point streak hit six games. Zary&#8217;s point streak hit four games.</p>
<p>This is the first time the Flames have allowed eight goals since Mar. 20, 2023 against Los Angeles. It&#8217;s the first time it&#8217;s happened at home since Feb. 15, 2020 against Chicago.</p>
<h1>Up next</h1>
<p>The Flames (14-11-5) are back in action on Saturday when the host the Florida Panthers.</p>
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<em class="text-lg italic">This article is brought to you by bet365.</em>

The Calgary Flames returned home on Thursday night after a mixed bag of a two game road trip, hoping to have a better showing against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Unfortunately, the Flames brought some of their worst habits home with them.

The Flames had flashes of strong play, but their defensive miscues led to an 8-3 loss to the Lightning – their first regulation loss on home ice in over a month.
<h1>The rundown</h1>
The Flames opened the scoring 4:42 into the opening period off a rush sequence that didn't go exactly as planned, but still resulted in a goal. Martin Pospisil attempted to pass across the slot to Jonathan Huberdeau on a two-on one. Unfortunately (for Calgary), Tampa's Anthony Cirelli raced back and swept the puck away from Pospisil. Unfortunately (for Tampa) that swept puck glanced off defender Ryan McDonagh's skate and went right to Huberdeau anyway, and Huberdeau buried the puck past Andrei Vasilevskiy to make it 1-0 Flames.

https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1867393647291117743

&nbsp;

But late in the period, Tampa struck back. Huberdeau couldn't control the puck inside the Tampa blueline and Nikita Kucherov yoinked it away from him and raced off for a breakaway chance. He beat Dan Vladar on that breakaway to tie the game at 1-1.

https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1867400172696981651

First period shots were 9-9. Via Natural Stat Trick, five-on-five scoring chances were 15-6 Lightning (high-danger chances were 3-2 Lightning).

A lot happened in the second period. A few minutes into the period, Pospisil blocked a Rasmus Andersson point shot with his knee, going down in a heap and leaving the game for awhile.

https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1867408176813146287

A little after Pospisil left the game, Tampa scored off the rush on a nice little sequence. They carried the puck into the zone, dropped the puck to Jake Guentzel, and he fired a shot from the top of the slot that beat Vladar glove-side to give the visitors a 2-1 lead.

https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1867408422418976850

Shortly after the Flames went down 2-1 – 30 seconds later – Jake Bean was called for holding. On the resulting Tampa power play, Brayden Point blasted a shot from the slot that beat Vladar and gave the Lightning a 3-1 lead.

https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1867409230128632264

A little after <em>that</em>, Nazem Kadri was nabbed for a puck-over-glass delay-of-game minor. At the tail end of that power play, Cirelli jammed in a rebound around the blue paint after Vladar made the initial stop. That gave the Lightning their second power play goal of the period and a 4-1 lead.

https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1867410743219695925

At that point, Pospisil returned to the Flames bench and they seemed to get their legs back.

The Flames answered back with a weird, pretty goal. Huberdeau attempted to spring Kadri into the Tampa zone with a bank pass through the neutral zone. Tampa defender J.J. Moser blew a tire and laid out trying to get his stick on the pass. Kadri leapt over Moser's sprawled out body, nearly fell over himself and spun upon landing, then fired the puck past Vasilevskiy from the slot to cut the Tampa lead to 4-2.

https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1867411347417514446

And a little later, Connor Zary entered the Tampa zone, accepted a pass from Blake Coleman, and sniped a shot past Vasilevskiy's glove (picking the top corner) to cut the Tampa lead down to 4-3.

https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1867412828183048453

Second period shots were 8-7 Lightning. Five-on-five scoring chances were 10-5 Lightning (high-danger chances were 4-3 Lightning).

The Lightning pulled away in the third period.

Early in the period, the Flames couldn't clear the zone and turned it over on attempted zone exits <em>twice</em>. Cirelli's shot hit a body out front, but Brandon Hagel fired the puck past Vladar to make it 5-3.

https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1867420497530765623

With Zary in the box for interference, Kucherov made a great play on the power play and sent Guentzel in all alone. He went top corner on Vladar to make it 6-3.

https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1867425385367187717

A little later, the Flames attackers were all caught up ice and left Kevin Bahl all along against Hagel and Conor Geekie. Geekie buried Hagel's feed to make it 7-3.

https://twitter.com/TBLightning/status/1867427280085295551

As the game wound down, Daniil Miromanov dropped his stick and went back to get it. That left Guentzel unattended for a redirect of a feed from Point to make it 8-3.

https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1867428271308382277

And that was how it ended.

Third period shots were 9-6 Lightning. Five-on-five scoring chances were 9-5 Lightning (high-danger chances were 4-2 Lightning).
<h1>Why the Flames lost</h1>
The Flames were way, way too leaky in their own zone and their puck management was dreadful. They had a few flashes of decent play, but they were way too permissive defensively.
<h1>Red Warrior</h1>
Let's give it to Huberdeau by default. He had a goal and a really nice play on the Kadri goal.
<h1>Turning point</h1>
Tampa Bay scored two goals on two shots, 90 seconds apart, in the second period and grabbed hold of this game.
<h1>This and that</h1>
Ryan Lomberg returned to action after being absent from the road trip due to the birth of his third child. With his return, Jakob Pelletier was scratched.

Huberdeau's point streak hit six games. Zary's point streak hit four games.

This is the first time the Flames have allowed eight goals since Mar. 20, 2023 against Los Angeles. It's the first time it's happened at home since Feb. 15, 2020 against Chicago.
<h1>Up next</h1>
The Flames (14-11-5) are back in action on Saturday when the host the Florida Panthers.
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