The Calgary Flames put forth a valiant effort last night versus the Detroit Red Wings, but it wasn’t quite enough as they fell by a 2-1 final in overtime. Nonetheless, they were able to pick up yet another big point, giving them 28 on the season. As a result, they continue to sit second in the Pacific Division with a very solid 12-7-4 record.
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This game was a microcosm of what the Flames’ season has been thus far, as they yet again stormed back late and appeared to be in line for yet another come-from-behind victory. With that said, here are the three main takeaways from this outing.
Lack of Goals Once Again
As good as the Flames have been this season, they’ve struggled to put pucks in the net. Part of that comes down to talent, as they simply don’t have the top offensive guns that many of the top teams in the NHL possess. That said, they’ve shown the ability to score at key times, and just need to start finding ways to do so on a more consistent basis.
While they threw plenty of shots on Red Wings goaltender Cam Talbot, they weren’t able to beat him until late in the third, where Connor Zary found the back of the net on a power play tally to send things to overtime. The Red Wings were able to win it on the power play themselves, however, as Lucas Raymond beat Dan Vladar for the game winner.
The lack of goals this team is scoring has become quite apparent, as their 59 on the season ranks near the bottom of the league. It hasn’t hurt them yet, but could start to soon if they aren’t able to up their production going forward.
Vladar Stood Tall
The Flames have had one of the best goaltending duos in the league so far this season, and the strong play continued last night. Vladar drew the start, his 11th of 2024-25, and wound up kicking aside 25 of the 27 shots he faced.
“Dan made saves again for us tonight. I thought he played well,” head coach Ryan Huska said about his goalie’s performance. “He looked in control, he looked confident and calm tonight.”
The loss drops Vladar’s record to 4-4-3 on the season, though that record doesn’t indicate how well he’s played. He now has a 2.59 goals-against average (GAA) along with a .905 save percentage (SV%), numbers that far exceed what he posted in each of the past two seasons.
Power Play Strikes Again
A big part of the Flames’ offensive struggles early in the season came down to the fact that they couldn’t convert on the power play. By going 1-for-4 last night, however, they were able to up their season percentage to 19.7. That by no means is elite, but has them sitting 17th in the NHL, which is quite impressive given where they were just a few weeks ago.
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The Flames have now scored at least one power play goal in each of their past five games. While that streak won’t last forever, it’s clear their confidence is growing on the man advantage, which could help some of their struggling offensive players when it comes to producing at even strength going forward.
Looking Ahead for the Flames
With this outing done with, the Flames now have just two games remaining on what is a four-game road trip. The first will come on Saturday afternoon in what could be a rather emotional one versus the Columbus Blue Jackets. They’ll be back in action once again on Sunday versus the Pittsburgh Penguins. Though back-to-backs are never easy, these are two winnable games that could help the Flames a ton standings-wise.
