The Calgary Flames were able to pick up a point, but it felt quite disappointing given how last night’s game played out. The Flames felt like they had this one in the bag, holding a 3-1 lead heading into the third period. After a very solid first 40 minutes, however, they let their foot off the gas, allowing the Boston Bruins to force overtime and eventually win what was a highly entertaining game by a 4-3 final.
The Flames got plenty of contributions up and down their lineup in this one, but their lack of push in the final frame proved costly. With the loss, their record drops to 15-11-6, which, while not bad, is rather frustrating given that fans were in full belief that they were going to be picking up their 16th win of the season.
Late Game Collapse
The Flames came out strong, controlling play in the first period. They went into the first intermission scoreless, though it felt like it was only a matter of time before they took the lead. Sure enough, Matt Coronato got them on the board less than a minute into the second, before a Nazem Kadri goal made it 2-0 less than a minute later. After 40 minutes, they found themselves up 3-1.
Related: Flames News & Rumors: Lomberg, Vladar, Kuzmenko & More
That all came crashing down in the third, as the Bruins potted two less than seven minutes in to get things squared up. The game remained tied for the remainder of regulation, before David Pastrnak potted his 12th of the season to give his team the win.
“I thought it was a tale of two games,” said Ryan Huska. “The first half of it I really liked our game. I thought we had them on the run for the beginning portion of the game, then I thought they flipped the script on us and they had us on the run.”
Coronato On Pace for 20 Goals
Heading into the 2024-25 season, many questioned whether Matt Coronato would be on the Flames’ roster. He wound up making the team out of camp, but was assigned to the American Hockey League (AHL) a short time later. Thankfully, his time with the Calgary Wranglers lasted just two games before he earned himself another look.
Coronato has made the most of his latest opportunity, as he’s made some significant improvements from where he was a year ago. The 2021 first-round pick scored the opening goal in last night’s game, giving him eight on the season. He’s on pace for 20.5 right now and could have had even more had he not been assigned to the AHL in the early going.
Lomberg Gets His First
Following a big win on the road versus the Nashville Predators, Huska raved about the play of his fourth line and mentioned how crucial it is when they are able to contribute. They found their way on the board again in this one, as Ryan Lomberg put home a broken play near the front of the net for his first goal of the season.
Related: Insider Believes Flames and Bennett Could Reunite This Offseason
It was evident right away just how much the goal meant not only to Lomberg, but his teammates. The 29-year-old has come as advertised early into his second go-round with the Flames, and has been a rather underrated offseason acquisition by general manager Craig Conroy.
Looking Ahead for the Flames
The Flames have two games remaining before a stretch of days off for the holidays. Their first will come on Thursday night versus the Ottawa Senators, followed by a Saturday afternoon affair against Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks. Both will be huge games as they look to remain in a wild-card position, which they took sole possession of after grabbing a single point last night.
