The Calgary Flames might still be getting reacquainted with head coach Darryl Sutter and his ways. Much like John Tortorella in Columbus, Sutter is well known for his soundbites after games and his return to Calgary has been no different. Since taking over behind the bench early in March, Sutter’s Flames have a 4-6–1 record in 11 games and the losing is already getting to the Flames bench boss – which was clear following their loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Mar. 26.
The Flames gave up a power play goal midway through the first period to Jets’ captain Blake Wheeler, before going down 2-0 early in the second. Two third period goals were just not enough for the Flames as Paul Stastny netted his 11th of the season with just over five minutes left in the game to give the Jets a 3-2 win. Enter Sutter and his post-game press conference.
Flames Need Urgency
Having been asked about his team’s urgency in the game, Sutter commented on how the Flames took dumb penalties and had some slow starts from some ‘dopey’ players. While he didn’t name any specific players, the comments were left open for interpretation for the Flames players, media and fans.
Regardless, Sutter’s comments regarding urgency do have some legitimacy. While his use of words might be more questionable, the Flames didn’t reach double digits in shots in either of the first two periods with just six in the first and eight in the second – a number that makes it hard for the team to put pucks past Vezina-goalie Connor Hellebuyck.
The Flames also had three first-period penalties and gave the Jets six power plays overall – with the Jets capitalizing on two of their chances. With the loss, the Flames fall to 15-17-3 in 35 outings this season, sitting just outside the playoffs in the North Division. And it’s clear that Sutter isn’t going to accept efforts like the one the Flames showed against the Jets on Friday.
