The Calgary Flames were far from their best on Friday afternoon, and paid for it, suffering a 5-2 loss at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Suddenly, the red-hot Flames have lost three straight outings, all to teams outside a playoff position.
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The Flames, for reasons unknown, haven’t been a very good road team this season. While their 9-3-0 record at home is promising, their 3-5-4 record on the road is concerning. It’s something that, if they hope to remain in a playoff spot, will need to be improved upon in a hurry. With that said, here are the three main takeaways from this one.
Lack of Scoring Continues
This Flames team certainly isn’t lacking in terms of their effort level, but they seem to be suffering from a lack of top-end talent. Following today’s outing, they’re averaging just 2.54 goals per game. Even more concerning is that they haven’t scored four or more goals in a game since defeating the Edmonton Oilers 4-1 on Oct. 13.
“We just didn’t have a lot of guys that were at our best today,” head coach Ryan Huska said to reporters. “We have a way we have to play the game, and if it’s not their consistently, or if we’re looking for an easier brand of hockey, it doesn’t work for us. Today, I thought we were looking for an easier game.”
Based on those comments and others that Huska has made early this season, it seems like he fully understands that his team lacks the ability to score goals in bunches. Instead, they need to rely on limiting opportunities against, which they failed to do in this one.
Wolf Not at His Best
It’s well-known amongst Flames fans that Dustin Wolf has been the team’s MVP through the first quarter of the season. The 23-year-old continues to be discussed as a top candidate for the Calder Trophy, and deservedly so. That said, he appears to have hit a bit of a rut.
Following yesterday’s outcome, Wolf has given up eight goals on a combined 63 shots. As a result, his season totals have dipped, though still respectable with a 2.59 goals against average and a .918 save percentage. While it’s rather unfair to put pressure on the rookie goalie, he’ll need to be better going forward for the Flames to start racking up wins again.
Difficult Game to Play In
Though the Flames’ effort in this one was disappointing, you can certainly understand why. There was plenty of emotion prior to this one getting underway, as it marked the first time the Flames and Blue Jackets have played since the passing of Johnny Gaudreau.
“That was probably the toughest game I’ve played in my life,” Rasmus Andersson admitted. “I kind of walked out early to see [everything] beforehand, and it hits you in a different spot, that’s for sure.”
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If anything, seeing all the tributes that poured out, along with the clear emotion on many players’ faces, quickly put things into perspective. Though this wasn’t a great game from the Flames, it still is, at the end of the day, just that: a game.
Looking Ahead for the Flames
The Flames won’t have much time to think about this one, as they’re back in action tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins to wrap up a four-game road trip. They’ll then return to Calgary to take on the Blue Jackets once again on Tuesday, followed by the St. Louis Blues on Thursday. Getting back to playing at the Saddledome may be exactly what this group needs to get things going like they were just one week ago.
