In a season with more ups and downs than a sailboat caught in a hurricane, the Calgary Flames’ ability to overturn third-period deficits has been an illuminating bright spot. Under Darryl Sutter’s dogmatic tutelage last season, the Flames couldn’t overturn a bucket of pucks, let alone a third-period deficit. Trailing entering the third period, the 2022-23 Flames won just two of 24 contests, level with the Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers for the fewest victories in such scenarios.
Their 2-18-4 record when trailing after two periods, or a .083 winning percentage, directly reflected the collective’s inability to break free of Sutter’s uncompromising shackles. Hope gradually faded, transitioning to dread. Eventually, dread turned into acceptance.
Under Ryan Huska’s stewardship, hope has made a welcome and emphatic comeback. The 2023-24 Flames have turned last season’s woeful comeback stat on its head. Just past the halfway mark of the season, Calgary already has six third-period comeback victories, one behind league-leading Colorado Avalanche.
From worst to second best, the improbable turnaround is as impressive as it is encouraging. While the Flames would like to enter more third periods with the lead, knowing this unit has the character and fortitude to rally, erase a deficit, and eventually prevail is an uplifting notion.
A Closer Look At the Flames’ Six-Third-Period Comeback Wins
The Flames have won six of 22 contests (6-14-2) in which they trailed going into the final 20 minutes, a .273 winning percentage that ranks fourth in the league. Only the New Jersey Devils (.294%), Dallas Stars (.333%), and Avalanche (.438%) have a superior winning percentage.
While Huska won’t be satisfied with his team facing a third-period deficit in over half of the games thus far, he’ll be encouraged by their collective resilience. Already three times as many third-period comeback victories as last season, the Flames managed to pull off the unlikely feat against the Ottawa Senators on Jan. 9, the Carolina Hurricanes on Dec. 7, the Vegas Golden Knights on Nov. 27, the Stars on Nov. 24, the Seattle Kraken on Nov. 20 and the Nashville Predators on Nov. 7.
Four of the six third-period comeback victories came against Ottawa, Carolina, Vegas, and Nashville in the friendly confines of the Scotiabank Saddledome. The other two occurred in Dallas and Seattle. Five of those six comeback triumphs came within a month, from Nov. 7 to Dec. 7, three of which happened in an eight-day span, from Nov. 20 to Nov. 27.
The Flames trailed by a single goal in five of the six victories and entered the third down by two against the Hurricanes on Dec. 7 at the Saddledome, the only time they overturned a multiple-goal deficit.
Calgary Flames Save the Best for Last
Unlike last season, The Flames have thus far saved their best for the third period. Calgary has 41 first-period goals (tied for ninth overall), 39 second-period goals (25th), and 53 third-period goals (tied for fifth). While their defensive record is more even across the three periods, it’s still slightly superior in the third. Calgary has allowed 48 first-period goals, the fourth-most, 42 second-period goals (ranked 17th), and 42 third-period goals, tied for 14th.
In the six comeback wins, the Flames exploded twice for three unanswered third-period goals and twice for four unanswered third-period markers. The opposition was shut out in all four of those prolific third periods. In the other two comeback wins, the Flames prevailed against Vegas and Seattle in overtime. The four-goal outbursts against the Senators and Stars mark the Flames’ highest-scoring third periods this season.
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Blake Coleman was the catalyst in most third-period come-from-behind victories, in which he scored four goals, three of the game-winning variety. The 32-year-old, who’s battling Jacob Markstrom for team-MVP honours, leads the team in goals (19), points (37), and game-winning goals (four).
Coleman continued his recent rich vein of form in Saturday’s 3-1 victory over the Golden Knights, scoring his seventh goal in the last eight encounters.
Elias Lindholm had the game-winning goal in the 7-4 comeback triumph over the Stars, while MacKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson capped off the other third-period comebacks, scoring in overtime to secure victory.
Going forward, Huska will want to see his team reduce the number of times they enter the third period in arrears while maintaining or bettering the current .273 winning percentage in games where they trail. While fans will hope that an aspirational outcome soon comes to fruition, most will be satisfied knowing their beloved team actually has the chance of prevailing in the face of probable defeat.
