It was 80s Night time on the Saddledome.
This is likely to be the one rink within the NHL the place followers are lacking the period when video games may finish in a tie.
You are reading: SNAPSHOTS: Familiar storyline as Flames fall in overtime to Stars
Three-on-three extra time has not been form to the 2022-23 Calgary Flames and this turned out to be one more instance, with Dallas Stars sharpshooter Jason Robertson ripping the winner with simply 12.3 ticks remaining within the sudden-death session to complete off a 6-5 humdinger.
The Flames have now collected 15 loser factors. That’s not the class that you just hope to be main the league in.
“Battling all the way down to the final minute, going into OT, it simply comes down to at least one play,” mentioned Flames blue-liner MacKenzie Weegar after an entertaining affair. “And now we have to start out making that play.”
Now 4 factors out of the ultimate wildcard within the Western Convention, the worry is that they’ll look again on that pile of single factors and surprise if their futility in extra time in the end price them a playoff invite.
The Flames are 6-15 when a sport goes past 60 minutes. That could be a ugly .286 win proportion.
No complaints about Saturday’s music choice on the Saddledome, however perhaps they need to have saved Journey’s Don’t Cease Believin’ for the transient break earlier than the additional interval?
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“Clearly, when you would have a special file and win extra, you’d have higher confidence going into OT,” mentioned Flames alternate captain Elias Lindholm, understandably in a depressing temper after this newest bonus-time bummer. “Clearly, we’re attempting, however proper now we will’t discover a method to win in OT. If I had the reply, I’d change one thing, for certain.”
Talking of which, the Flames should have been wishing they may hop in a time-machine and re-do the primary couple of minutes of this ode to the 80s. After 1:58 of motion, the Stars had already potted a pair.
And, in fact, a DeLorean would have been useful to take one other crack on the ending. On what began as an odd-man rush, Robertson toe-dragged round Rasmus Andersson and roofed a backhander. The NHL reviewed that play to double-check for goaltender interference by a crease-crashing Radek Faksa, and a seething Jacob Markstrom shattered his stick as he exited the ice.
“Powerful one,” Andersson groaned. “You give Robertson an inch and he takes it and scores. Powerful sport. Yeah, that sucked.
“We had appears to be like. I hit the put up. Backs (Mikael Backlund) had virtually a back-door tap-in. So now we have the appears to be like, we’re simply not placing them in. It’s clearly irritating that we’ve misplaced 15 video games in extra time.”
Andersson and Weegar, at present partnered on the Flames’ high defence duo, mixed for a grand whole of six factors in opposition to the Central Division-leading Stars. Each scored, each collected a few assists.
Lindholm, Blake Coleman and Nick Ritchie did the remainder of the lamp-lighting for the locals.
Robertson’s extra time winner was his second snipe of the night, whereas Joe Pavelski, Radek Faksa, Wyatt Johnston and Jani Hakanpaa additionally bulged twine for the boys from Huge D.
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House simply lengthy sufficient to clean their lingerie, the Flames are once more headed south for a SoCal swing — Monday’s matchup with the Los Angeles Kings after which Tuesday’s tussle with the Anaheim Geese.
“We’re massive boys in right here — we do a great job of protecting the positivity and protecting the arrogance excessive,” Weegar mentioned in a post-game scrum. “What are we going to do? Dwell on it and let it crush us? No … We have now to maintain going right here.”
“It appears like I say it each time I discuss to you guys, however now we have to get each level we will,” Andersson echoed. “We acquired one as we speak and now we have an enormous journey arising the place we have to get 4 factors.”
AROUND THE BOARDS
Flames coach Darryl Sutter aced this post-game evaluation: “All people acquired their cash’s value, that’s for certain” … Saturday’s showdown between the Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators turned out to be a three-pointer, a worst-case state of affairs for the crew from Calgary. The Jets prevailed in extra time and are actually 4 factors up on the Flames within the race for the ultimate wildcard. Each have a dozen dates remaining. The Predators are 5 again of the Winnipeggers with three video games in hand … Andersson made an outstanding saucer cross to spring Ritchie on a breakaway, and the trade-deadline acquisition completed with a slick transfer to his backhand … Due to Weegar’s second-period tally, a fortunate fan scored a free journey to Las Vegas via the ‘Minute to Win It’ contest. He was already sporting a No. 52 Blasty jersey, and this actually ought to cinch Weegar’s standing as his favorite participant. “Good karma,” Weegar grinned throughout an in-house interview on the second intermission. “I hope he wins numerous cash in Vegas” … In a seven-game playoff sequence in 2022, the Flames and Stars mixed for 29 objectives. In three regular-season conferences this winter, they totalled 31. Bonkers … The Flames scratched veteran powerful man Milan Lucic and rookie winger Jakob Pelletier. It sounds just like the 34-year-old Lucic, probably the most skilled dude on the roster, could also be platooning for the rest of the season with Ritchie, a fellow left-winger. “It might be arduous to have Nick and Looch each in on the identical time,” Sutter mentioned. “They will solely play the one place. Gotta hold ’em each going, proper?”
OFF THE GLASS
Sutter’s message to his group? “Keep within the second boys. All people is attempting to push you away — keep there” … Pavelski notched three factors Saturday, boosting his profession whole in opposition to the Flames to 59. Amongst lively skaters, solely Paul Stastny has had extra offensive success in opposition to Calgary … Lindholm hit the 20-goal mark for the fourth time in his profession. It might be 5 in a row — all on behalf of the Flames — however he was sitting at 19 when the 2019-20 marketing campaign was halted because of COVID-19 … Requested after morning skate about Tyler Toffoli, who has already posted a brand new career-high in factors, Sutter dropped an attention-grabbing tidbit. He revealed that the sharpshooting right-winger was injured final spring, which could clarify why his playoff stat-line was so underwhelming. “Ty is an effective professional — can play anyplace, play tons. He’s a man I belief in a whole lot of conditions,” Sutter mentioned. “Contact wooden, he’s stayed wholesome this 12 months. Final 12 months, he performed harm on the finish and performed harm within the playoffs so didn’t actually get all the pieces he needed.”
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