FLAMES USE UP ALL OF CATS’ NINE LIVES IN SHOOTOUT WIN
Panthers rebound from a pair of deficits, while Tkachuk’s heroics salvage two points
CALGARY 6, FLORIDA 5 (SO)
The narrative heading into Thursday’s game was all about line shuffling.
The Calgary Flames were desperate to get their first line — specifically Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau — going while head coach Bill Peters made it clear they would change things if they had to. While the first line didn’t score, it still had contributors. Offence wasn’t a problem on this night.
But on the other side, suboptimal defensive play allowed the Joel Quenneville-powered Florida Panthers to score three straight goals in the third period to get back into it.
The Flames managed to do it, though, winning 6-5 in the shootout thanks to goals from Monahan and Matthew Tkachuk to improve to 3-2-1 at home and 6-5-1 overall.
Tkachuk had himself a game by scoring twice, including a timely early goal in the third period to pull ahead 3-2, while Mark Giordano also responded with the team’s fourth marker at the 5:16 mark to make it 4-2.
Tkachuk nearly ended it on his first shift in overtime and again with 1:22 left in extra time, but Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky came up big. Meanwhile, Monahan and Gaudreau drew a penalty from Denis Malgin with 31.3 seconds left.
But back-to-back goals from the Florida Panthers — and turnovers from the Flames — made it closer than it should have been.
Josh Brown and Evgenii Dadonov scored two minutes 21 seconds apart to keep the visitors in it. Mark Pysyk put the Panthers up with 5:01 remaining in the final frame.
Sam Bennett kept it close with 2:43 left, knotting it at 5-5.
This wasn’t a goaltending duel by any means. David Rittich allowed five goals on 20 shots in regulation, while Bobrovsky allowed five on 21.
As for the Flames, Austin Czarnik made two big plays that changed the course of the game.
One was a power-play marker to put the Flames on the board at 11:43 of the first period — with a special assist to a pinching Rasmus Andersson, who tied up Aaron Ekblad in front and created some traffic to have the puck go off Ekblad’s skate.
The other was when he lost his assignment and allowed Mackenzie Weegar to walk in and rip a shot from the high slot to knot the score 2-2 with 4:45 remaining in the middle frame. (Czarnik, by the way, didn’t return for the third.)
The second period, albeit, wasn’t the Flames’ best anyway as they allowed another early goal — for the fourth straight game after doing so against the L.A. Kings (16 seconds in), Anaheim Ducks (12 seconds in) and the Washington Capitals (35 seconds in).
This time, Jonathan Huberdeau took advantage of a rattled Rittich who tripped behind the net on the previous play and couldn’t get up.
Huberdeau also took advantage of poor wall play by TJ Brodie, who lost the puck to Aleksander Barkov before Huberdeau beat Rittich on his glove side with
4:28 elapsed in the second.
The Flames led twice on this night, a 1-0 advantage and a 4-2 lead in the third period.
Thursday’s game was the last home date for the Flames until Nov. 5 as they head on the road for their biggest stretch of the year, starting with the Heritage Classic Saturday in Regina against the Winnipeg Jets (8 p.m., CBC, Citytv, Sportsnet 1, Sportsnet 960 The Fan).
Their road record is 2-4-0.
The Regina Pats have produced a ton of great players over their 102-year history, but Brad Treliving doesn’t consider himself one of them.
“I remember Regina, but Regina won’t remember me,” the Calgary Flames general manager said with a laugh. “There wasn’t a real long-lasting impact that I had on the franchise.”
Treliving enjoyed a cup of coffee with the Pats in 1988-89, dressing for 10 WHL games. That was preceded by stops with the Portland Winterhawks, Brandon Wheat Kings and Spokane Chiefs before wrapping up his junior career in B.C. with a short-lived team called the Ladner Penguins.
Treliving — a big, bruising defenceman — went on to a fiveyear pro career, most of which was spent in the ECHL.
“I was (in Regina) for a while, but only played a little bit and got an injury,” he explained.
“It was sort of a turbulent time with the Pats. We had gone through a coaching change when I first got traded there. Dennis Sobchuk was there. I think I just got there and Sobby got replaced (by assistant Bernie Lynch).
“But I enjoyed it there. I was a young guy. I had family in the area. That made it a little bit easier. And there were some good guys on the team. It was a good experience in Regina.”
Treliving has to reach deep into his memory banks to extract a visual of those days, fondly recalling a time when he still had a “full head of hair.” His brief stint with the Pats also made an impression in terms of playing for an iconic franchise in a city where the sport really mattered.
“You knew how important hockey was to the community,” he said. “Until you’re there and you live it and you see it first-hand, you don’t have as good of an appreciation. But it sort of solidified what you knew.”
Although 30 years have passed, those sentiments are again relevant heading into Saturday’s Heritage Classic at Mosaic Stadium. Treliving can’t help but feel like something special is on the horizon as his team prepares to face the Winnipeg Jets in an outdoor affair.
“It’s certainly not lost on us the impact and the meaning of where this is being played,” said the native of Penticton, B.C. “Specifically, (it’s important to) our Canadian guys that recognize the area and the passion that’s in Saskatchewan for the sport and for the league.
“I think both fan bases will be loudly represented and it’s going to make for a great atmosphere. Being from the West, knowing how much impact Saskatchewan has had on our game … I think it’s a wonderful thing, I really do. I have family that’s talked about it since the spring when it was announced, (saying) that people in Regina are very excited about the event.”
The Jets and Flames are slated to arrive Friday with each side expected to take a spin on the new ice later in the day.
Both clubs are off to somewhat disappointing starts — Winnipeg (5-6-0) sits fourth in the Central Division, while Calgary (5-5-1) was sixth in the Pacific Division before Thursday’s home date with the Florida Panthers. Although it’s still early, both teams could use a win.
“The points are certainly important,” Treliving said. “You keep that very much at the forefront, but you have to enjoy these events. When you look back on your career and the things you get to experience, that’s what you remember. You remember the moments.”
If all goes well, this could be one of them.
“It seems a little more real as it gets closer,” he added. “At the beginning of the year, it’s another game on the schedule. We’ve got enough to focus on right now, but as we get there and you get into Regina, you want to take it all in. You want to experience it and recognize how special it is. That leads into making sure you put your best foot forward.”