The game between the Calgary Flames and the San Jose Sharks on Feb. 15 was confusing, to say the least. While the Flames aren’t exactly at the top of their game, they are currently 20 points ahead of the Sharks, who are the second-worst team in the league. Still, the Flames lost 6-3 on Thursday night.
The game was plagued by errors that the Flames have been struggling to fix all season. Despite their recent success after trading Elias Lindholm, the team looked as they did at the beginning of the 2023-24 season. Turnovers and poor puck control were the bane of the Flames’ existence, leading to many of the Sharks’ six goals. There was also a general lack of awareness that made them look sluggish as they played.
Wolf’s Struggle In Goal
Unfortunately, this game was also Dustin Wolf’s first appearance in the NHL since Dec. 12 when he played between the pipes against the Vegas Golden Knights. Although the Flames lost that game as well, the young goalie finished with a save percentage (SV%) of .872. He only managed a SV% of .806 against the Sharks.
Wolf has had some good showings in the NHL this season, with his game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Dec. 7 earning him a SV% of .933. The showing against the Sharks, however, may have put the brakes on potential plans for the Flames’ goalie squad. With rumours swirling about possible trades involving Jacob Markstrom, the Flames need to ensure that Wolf is truly ready to step up to the plate. If Markstrom really does get traded, Wolf is a favourite to take his place over current backup Dan Vladar.
Poor Puck Control
Wolf’s performance isn’t the only thing to blame for the Flames’ loss, however. Many of the Sharks’ goals were caused by giveaways. Mikael Granlund’s goal, the first of the Sharks’ six, came after a turnover right in front of the Flames’ net by Noah Hanifin. The second goal came a mere three minutes later from another turnover in prime position for the Sharks to score. MacKenzie Weegar was unable to clear the puck and Justin Bailey took advantage and put the Sharks up one on the Flames.
Related: Flames Should Reconsider Markstrom Trade Given Wolf’s Play
Turnover and bad puck management have been the Achilles heel of the Flames all season. They have struggled to keep hold of the puck and often make poor decisions in the worst possible positions. It wouldn’t be so bad, as turnovers are to be expected in hockey – if the Flames weren’t constantly caught off guard by them. In the two turnovers that led to goals for the Sharks, only the two defencemen were left to help defend the goal and one of them had just made a terrible mistake. There was no time for anyone to get back and help because they were too far up the ice.
The over-reliance on the defencemen has been a double-edged sword for the Flames this season. Although the blueliners have contributed a vast amount to the offence, they sometimes struggle to give proper support to their goalie. When this happens and no one is around to help them out, goals are scored and the Flames lose morale. The unbalanced nature of the roster doesn’t always work out in the desired way and until they can find a way to fix it, they will continue to lose games like this one when they shouldn’t.
Lack of Hustle and Awareness
One of the biggest things to take away from the game against the Sharks was the Flames’ lack of hustle on the ice. Given that the Sharks are the second-worst team in the NHL after the Chicago Blackhawks, it seems that the Flames went into the game a bit too cocky. Rather than treating the Sharks as their fellow competitors, the Flames looked very laidback. While it may sound harsh, it’s not exactly an unfair statement. The Flames looked like they were moving at half-speed for most of the game. The players themselves weren’t happy with how they played (from ‘Flames look to move on fast from ugly loss to Sharks’, Calgary Herald, Feb. 16, 2024).
There wasn’t a lot of awareness from the Flames either. In their last few games, in which they went 3-1, they reeled in their scattered play style and pulled off some impressive wins. On Thursday night, though, there didn’t seem to be much thought behind a lot of the plays. Although the three goals the Flames scored were well-done, they could have done so much more with the 34 shots on goal they had. Even though Mackenzie Blackwood was standing his ground between the pipes, there’s no reason why the Flames couldn’t have found a way past him a few more times.
The Road From Here
This game may serve as only a speed bump on the Flames’ road to playoff contention. It could also be the start of another unfortunate losing streak. The way it goes from here is up to the Flames entirely. The team has already proven that they can win the hard games and the recent addition of Andrei Kuzmenko has paid off well. They have all the tools they need to make themselves into formidable opponents. They just have to get out of their own way to do it. If they can lock down a solid play style and stop letting small mistakes turn into big deficits, there’s no reason why they can’t rise in the ranks to reach the playoffs again.
