The Calgary Flames and Ottawa Senators played a pretty tight-checking hockey game on Thursday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

But in a 3-2 overtime victory for the Senators, conversation wasn’t focused on the competitive nature of the contest, but rather on a pair of controversial non-calls by the officials – particularly one in overtime that immediately preceded the Senators game-winner.

“Both teams battled hard today,” said Flames defender MacKenzie Weegar following the game. “A lot of physicality, a lot of pace to the game. Two great goaltenders going at it. You know, came down to the wire. It’s a tough one to lose, that one.”

Weegar was asked about the officiating.

“The reffing throughout the game, you know, you’re going to miss them,” said Weegar. “They might have missed a couple on us, too. That stuff’s okay. But overtime, it sucks because we’ve been on the other side of that a couple times this year. You know, we work so hard. We’re right in the playoff race. Just a big point to lose.”

The most prominent incident that led to criticism of the officials was off a rush chance by the Flames in overtime. Jonathan Huberdeau had a scoring opportunity on Linus Ullmark and looked to be clipped by an errant stick from Senators forward Brady Tkachuk.

Huberdeau went down at the Ottawa end, and the play went the other way. Flames netminder Dan Vladar made a stop on Tim Stützle off an initial rush chance, but Tkachuk knocked in the rebound to give the Senators a 3-2 overtime win.

“It’s the outcome of the game,” said Huberdeau. “I mean, that’s all it is. I mean, first of all, I got to score. I got to score and we’re not talking about it. But then it’s still a high stick. And when they go back and score and it’s the same guy that high-sticked me, I mean, it just stinks.”

Flames head coach Ryan Huska provided his assessment of the overtime sequence.

“I saw a chance for two calls to be made and they weren’t,” said Huska. “The guy that probably should have been sitting in the box for four minutes ends up scoring the goal. That’s what I saw.”

The other perceived non-call for the home side came at the tail end of the second period. After a face-off in the Ottawa zone with three seconds left on the clock, Senators forward Shane Pinto delivered a punch to the face of Flames forward Martin Pospisil, knocking Pospisil to the ice.

A crowd formed and players from both teams had heated conversations, but no calls were made – even after conversations with the officials after the intermission.

“Look, they got a tough job,” said Flames forward Blake Coleman. “I’ll say that to start it off, but it was a pretty blatant sucker punch at the end of the second period. Four guys on the ice miss it, and then you get a break. I mean, I don’t know.”

Coleman added his thoughts on the overtime sequence, comparing Tkachuk’s play on Huberdeau to a Mikael Backlund high-stick on Tkachuk in the second period that resulted in a four minute Senators power play.

“Your eyes are all on the guy with the puck carrier in overtime, and he takes a stick to the mouth,” said Coleman. “Draws blood. Same play that we got a four-minute for early in the game, and the rules are the rules. Unfortunately, I don’t know if they missed it or what, but the guy that high sticks us goes down and scores the game winner.”

Huberdeau provided thoughts on the Pospisil/Pinto sequence and the game’s officiating.

“I mean, it’s a free punch to the head,” said Huberdeau. “I mean, he’s got to call it. Maybe they didn’t see it. I mean, you know, I didn’t see it at the time when I was on the ice. But it is a penalty. Sometimes they’re going to miss on some calls. But I think it’s more like when it’s the outcome of the game. That’s when it gets you, like, more inside.”

Asked about the discussion he had with the officials prior to the start of the third period, Huska indicated that officials didn’t see the incident.

“They have a tough job, those guys,” said Huska. “They really do. But I just feel like over the last little bit, for whatever reason, we don’t get a lot of calls coming our way. So I don’t know if I have to change my approach behind the bench. I’m not sure. If I have to be different in how I handle them, I don’t know. But I just feel like it’s been that way for us for a little bit, which, hey, you’ve got to earn your calls along the way. But when there’s some that I think should be made, you’d like to see them.”

The Flames are back in action on Saturday afternoon when they host the Chicago Blackhawks.