Welcome to Instant Reaction, where we give you our instant reaction to tonight’s Calgary Flames game and ask our readers to do the same in the comments section below!
The Calgary Flames hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs on a chilly Tuesday evening at the Saddledome. The Flames kept things close for the first half of the game… but some uncharacteristic defensive lapses piled up and cost them.
The Flames lost 6-3 to the Maple Leafs.

The rundown

The first period took awhile – nearly 10 minutes longer than usual – because of a couple long reviews.
First, Morgan Rielly fired a shot in the Flames zone from a sharp angle. Dustin Wolf made the initial stop, but John Tavares whacked the rebound in out of mid-air to make it 1-0. However, the Situation Room reviewed the contact with the puck and found it had been a high stick, so it was ruled no goal.
A little later, off a rush sequence Jake Bean’s shot was stopped by Joseph Woll, but both Jonathan Huberdeau and Joel Farabee got whacks at the loose rebound, with Farabee knocking it into the net. However, the Leafs challenged for goalie interference and the goal was waved off to keep things at 0-0.
Finally, a goal that stood was scored later in the period. The Leafs were called for two penalties in quick succession. With Conor Timmins and Jake McCabe in the sin bin, the Flames scored. Matt Coronato grabbed the rebound of a Huberdeau shot… then a rebound off his own shot (after Chris Tanev blocked it) and beat Woll to make it 1-0 Flames.
First period shots were 10-7 Flames. Via Natural Stat Trick, five-on-five scoring chances were 9-9 (high-danger chances were 4-1 Maple Leafs).
Early in the second period, Toronto evened things up. With MacKenzie Weegar in the penalty box, William Nylander blasted a feed from Matthew Knies past Wolf to tie the game at 1-1.
A little later, Brayden Pachal was called for interference. Eight seconds into the resulting Maple Leafs power play, a couple quick passes left Tavares all alone in front of Wolf. Tavares beat Wolf glove-side with a really nice backhand shot to give the visitors a 2-1 lead.
A little later still, the Flames got their second five-on-three power play of the game after Simon Benoit and Steven Lorentz took successive high-sticking minors. A MacKenzie Weegar slapper was tipped in front by Yegor Sharangovich to tie the game at 2-2.
But the Flames made a couple mistakes as the period wore on, giving the Leafs a pair of three-on-one rushes… and a pair of goals.
On an offensive zone attack, the Flames turned the puck over and Tyson Barrie was caught in the Leafs’ end on a bad pinch (with nobody cycling back to cover for him). The Leafs headed up ice with speed and numbers, leaving Pachal back to defend a three-on-one. Bobby McMann opted to shoot, beating Wolf to give Toronto a 3-2 lead.
Late in the period, the Flames were caught once again on a very similar play. This time, Rasmus Andersson was caught pinching (with nobody cycling back to cover for him), leaving Bean all alone to defend a three-on-one rush. Nylander opted to shoot, beating Wolf to make it 4-2 Leafs.
Second period shots were 14-7 Maple Leafs. Five-on-five scoring chances were 7-5 Flames (high-danger chances were 1-0 Flames).
Midway through the third period, a pass by Andersson was intercepted in the neutral zone after bonking off Morgan Frost’s skate. Auston Matthews went in on a partial breakaway on Wolf. Wolf made a great sprawling save, but the Flames couldn’t corral the loose puck and Knies poked in the loose rebound in the blue paint to make it 5-2 Leafs.
The Flames got one back later on, with Farabee tipping a Huberdeau past Woll to score his first goal as a Flame… for the second time in this game. That cut Toronto’s lead to 5-3.
But that was as close as it got. The Flames pulled Wolf for the extra attacker with three minutes remaining. But they couldn’t capitalize, and Nylander yoinked the puck from Weegar at the point and scored an empty-netter to close out his hat trick to make it 6-3 Toronto.
The Leafs held on for the victory.
Third period shots were 9-9. Five-on-five scoring chances were 10-6 Maple Leafs (high-danger chances were 6-2 Maple Leafs).

Why the Flames lost

The Flames are a team that’s been defined by attention to detail on the defensive side. They simply don’t have the firepower to play river hockey… and they know it. But against the Leafs, they really seemed to get away from their structure. In particular, they made a couple bad pinches at bad times… and both times four Flames were caught below the hashmarks when the puck went the other way.
The home side really left their goalie out to dry. He had no chance on the power play goals. He made a great save on Matthews. And you probably hope that he can bail his team out on one of the three-on-one rushes… but maybe try not to give up three-on-ones.

Red Warrior

Weegar was pretty decent overall and had a couple points on a night where his team wasn’t great defensively. We’ll give him the nod. He probably wants Nylander’s third goal back, though.

Turning point

Allowing goals late in a period is tough. Allowing a goal off a three-on-one rush for the second time late in a period is even tougher. The Leafs’ fourth goal seemed to take the wind out of the Flames’ sails.

This and that

There was a tribute in-arena during a first period TV timeout honouring Leafs blueliner Chris Tanev, who was playing his first game in Calgary after departing last season.

Up next

The Flames (26-20-7) are back in action on Thursday night against the Colorado Avalanche.

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