How the season went up in Flames
Calgary is toast and here’s why
There was a thick layer of fog spread over downtown Calgary and the Scotiabank Saddledome Thursday morning. It was nature’s fitting reminder of a long winter in this city, a season that just won’t seem to end.
And with seven NHL games remaining on the Calgary Flames’ underwhelming 201718 campaign, it’s about to get even longer.
Following Wednesday’s 4-0 loss to the Anaheim Ducks, the organization is nearly resigned to the fact 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.
To connect the dots, we took a look at five games this season when the Flames could have taken control of their destiny.
1. Dec. 29, 2-1 loss to Anaheim
For a group that came up short in a 3-2 shootout loss to San Jose 24 hours earlier, they did not look invested. In the third period, goalie Mike Smith took an unnecessary delay-ofgame penalty when he flipped the puck over the glass instead of keeping it in play. Rickard Rakell broke a 1-1 deadlock by scoring six seconds into the Ducks’ man advantage.
2. Jan. 30, 4-2 loss to Vegas
They Flames returned from the all-star break to their biggest test of the 2017-18 campaign. Instead, they collapsed and gave up two goals in the span of 10 seconds late in the third period.
3. Feb. 13, 5-2 loss to Boston
After 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 red-hot Henrik Lundqvist to lose 4-3 in New York. They win two nights later in Brooklyn, but lose Mike Smith to a lowerbody injury in the final seconds of the game. They believed David Rittich was more than capable to handle the youthful Boston Bruins. And he was. The rest of the team? Not a chance.
4. March 11, 5-2 loss to Islanders
With Smith back in action 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 straight games and was starting a rookie goalie. At that point, the Flames were still in the playoff conversation. They outshot the Islanders 52-27, but allowed three goals on seven Islanders attempts in the first period.
5. Wednesday, 4-0 loss to Anaheim
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 not publicly. Instead, they allowed four goals on 16 shots. It’s over.