The Calgary Flames have not made things easy on themselves this season, and Sunday night’s game versus the Anaheim Ducks was no different. While they were ultimately able to walk away with a 5-4 win and pick up a crucial two points, they found themselves down 2-0 after the first period in a game that looked like it could get ugly.
The Flames deserve a ton of credit despite the rough first period, however, as they battled back and showed great resiliency through the final 40. Their offense seems to have come to life as of late, as they have now scored 10 goals over their past two games and five or more goals in six of their past eight games. With all that said, here are the three main takeaways from Sunday’s outing.
Depth Pieces Stepping Up
Despite the Flames putting up five in this one, their top offensive stars weren’t the ones filling the back of the net. While Andrew Mangiapane was able to get them on the board first with a second-period tally, the next four to put pucks past Lukas Dostal were Nikita Zadorov, Nick Ritchie, Milan Lucic and Michael Stone.
Having players like this step up will be huge for this Flames team if they want to claw their way back into a wild card position. While their best players like Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau will need to find a way to contribute more in their remaining five games, a game like this should do wonders to get some of their depth players feeling more confident.
Solid Team Effort
Though it may not show from the outcome, the Flames outplayed the Ducks for the majority of this game. Beating one of the league’s worst teams 5-4 may not seem like something to hang your hat on, but most who watched this game would agree that the score was not reflective of the overall game itself.
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By the time the horn sounded to end this one, the Flames held a commanding 41-22 lead in the shots category. This wasn’t a case of them just throwing pucks on net from anywhere either, as they had plenty of good scoring opportunities on the night, and could have potted several more if it weren’t for some great saves from Dostal.
Both Markstrom & Vladar Shaky
Though Jacob Markstrom drew the start in this one, his night came to an end after the first period, one in which he allowed two goals on just nine shots. Aside from a breakaway save on Max Jones, he looked very shaky from the get-go, letting out several rebounds on shots he would normally control with ease. To make matters even worse, he once again allowed the first shot he faced, marking the eighth time he has done so this season.
Dan Vladar came in to start the second period, and while he was able to pick up the win, he didn’t exactly inspire a ton of confidence. The 25-year-old hasn’t seen the net as much lately, and that appeared evident as he too let out several big rebounds and seemed unsure of where the puck was on nearly every shot thrown his way. That said, he was able to do enough, kicking aside 11 of the 13 shots he faced. He could very well see the net on Tuesday night with a back-to-back set coming up against the Chicago Blackhawks and Winnipeg Jets.
Looking Ahead for the Flames
While picking up two points was huge for the Flames, it didn’t change things from a standings perspective as the Jets were also able to win on Sunday over the New Jersey Devils. Both teams have just five games remaining on the season, with the Jets holding a slight two-point lead in the wild card race. The Flames will look to close that gap Tuesday night versus the Blackhawks before taking on the Jets in a game that could very well decide the season on Wednesday.
