Where did this season go wrong?
There was a thick layer of fog spread over downtown Calgary and, of course, over the Scotiabank Saddledome on Thursday morning.
1
Dec. 29, Honda Center
Calgary Flames 1
Anaheim Ducks 2
To quote coach Glen Gulutzan, Matthew Tkachuk “bit the head off the snake” when he dropped the gloves with resident pest Ryan Kesler in the first period. But for a group that had come up short in a 3-2 shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks just 24 hours before, they did not look invested. In the third period, goalie Mike Smith took an unnecessary delay-of-game penalty when he flipped the puck over the glass instead of keeping it in play. Then Rickard Rakell broke a 1-1 deadlock and scored six seconds into the Ducks’ man advantage. Just two days after the Christmas break, it was time for the team to take matters into their own hands.
It was nature’s fitting reminder of a long winter in this city, a season that just won’t seem to end.
With seven National Hockey League games remaining on the Calgary Flames’ underwhelming
2
Jan. 30,
Scotiabank Saddledome
Vegas Golden Knights 4 Calgary Flames 2
After a seven-game winning streak that took them into a five-day CBA-mandated break, the Flames lost the following four games. Time to hit the reset button: the NHL all-star break. Returning from another furlough, the Flames faced their biggest test of the 2017-18 campaign in the hottest team in the NHL. No reason not to get up for a game against the Vegas Golden Knights, right? The Jaromir Jagr experiment was officially over, Michael Frolik returned to the lineup and the Flames were trying to end a four-game losing skid. Instead of sealing the deal, they collapsed in a way only the Flames could and gave up two goals in the span of 10 seconds late in the third period. “It’s about as tough a loss as we’ve had this year,” Flames captain Mark Giordano said. 2017-18 campaign, it’s about to get even longer.
Following Wednesday’s latest face plant, an uninspired 4-0 loss to the Anaheim Ducks, the organization is nearly resigned to the fact
3
Feb. 13, TD Garden
Calgary Flames 2
Boston Bruins 5
Starting with a motivating 4-3 overtime win against the Blackhawks at home, the Flames hit the road for a six-game roadie. They rattled off wins in Chicago and New Jersey and ran into a redhot Henrik Lundqvist in Madison Square Garden, losing 4-3. They won two nights later in Brooklyn but lost Mike Smith to a lowerbody injury in the final 1.1 seconds of the game. It hurt, but they believed David Rittich was more than capable to handle the young, skilled Boston Bruins. And he was. The rest of the team? Not a chance. Their power play struggled, their top line didn’t produce when they needed them to and the other team made things happen, especially in the third period. Tied 2-2 going into the final 20 minutes, they let it slip away. “This is another tough loss, to be honest,” Giordano said. it’s over. There is likely no chance of spring hockey in this city.
It certainly wasn’t the anticipated outcome last summer when Flames general manager Brad Treliving was wheeling and dealing,
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March 11,
Scotiabank Saddledome
New York Islanders 5
Calgary Flames 2
With Smith back and some momentum from a three-game road trip, the Flames returned to the Saddledome to face a team that hadn’t won in eight games. They were facing a rookie goalie. They were still in the playoff conversation. So what happened? They outshot the Islanders 52-27 and 19-4 in the third, but the only numbers that seemed to matter were the three goals allowed by the Flames on just seven Islanders attempts in the first period. Worse, they lost Matthew Tkachuk to what is suspected to be a concussion after a falling Mathew Barzal collided with him in the corner. making moves to improve his hockey club, but the four straight losses have hammered home that the post-season won’t be a part of the Flames’ script.
To connect the dots, we took a look at a five-game sample from this season when the Flames could have stepped their collective foot on the gas pedal and taken control of their destiny.
5
March 21,
Scotiabank Saddledome
Anaheim Ducks 4
Calgary Flames 0
After a 7-4 loss to the San Jose Sharks at home and a two-game roadie to Vegas and Arizona that saw them lose 4-0 and 5-2, the Flames returned to the Saddledome and vowed to play with pride. If their playoff quest was over, no one was admitting it — at least publicly. They knew the game was meaningful on many levels (Matt Stajan’s 1,000th NHL game, a sliver of post-season hope, pride, et cetera). No better opportunity than a date with their Pacific Division foes. Instead, they allowed four goals on 16 shots. “Our scoring has dried up — not from lack of effort, not from lack of chances,” Gulutzan said.