The Calgary Flames lost to the Winnipeg Jets in overtime by a 2-1 score at the 2019 Heritage Classic. Here are selected reactions and notable facts following the game.
Too many penalties, again
By this point of the season, you’re probably aware that the Flames take a lot of penalties. They took five penalties in this game, pushing their total for times shorthanded this season to 50 – passing Vegas for the league-wide lead.
The Flames’ penalty push is led by Michael Frolik and Sam Bennett. If you scale their minors taken per 60 minutes (any game situation) and compare them to any players who have played 30 minutes this season, they don’t stack up well.
Take fewer penalties please.
David Rittich faces a zillion shots
.@NHLFlames head coach Bill Peters said goaltender David Rittich was "outstanding" in 43-save performance. #HeritageClassic #NHL
— Donna Spencer (@DLSpencer10) October 27, 2019
#Flames G David Rittich faced 45 shots in the 2019 Heritage Classic, setting an outdoor game record and matching his career high for shots faced in a game.
— Ryan Pike (@RyanNPike) October 27, 2019
This was the most shots the Flames have allowed since Oct. 21, 2018 win over the New York Rangers. The last time the Flames allowed more than 45 shots was an Oct. 15, 2014 win over Chicago when they allowed 50 shots.
New lines looked pretty alright
Bill Peters trotted out new line combinations this evening:
Gaudreau-Lindholm-Tkachuk
Lucic-Backlund-Frolik
Mangiapane-Monahan-Bennett
Quine-Ryan-Rieder
Lucic-Backlund-Frolik
Mangiapane-Monahan-Bennett
Quine-Ryan-Rieder
Bill Peters says he liked his new line combinations tonight. Says he’ll keep them together heading into Carolina on Tuesday. #Flames
— Pat Steinberg (@Fan960Steinberg) October 27, 2019