The Calgary Flames were the better team through 40, but an ugly third period did them in last night in a 5-3 loss to the Utah Hockey Club. The Flames were in full control of this one and entered the third with a 3-2 lead, but gave up three unanswered in the frustrating loss.
Related: Flames News & Rumors: Cozens, Andersson, Cull & More
With the loss, the Flames fall to 18-13-7 on the season, and have fallen outside of the playoff picture. There were some positives in this one based on how it started, but the final result has left a sour taste in the mouths of many. With that said, here are the three main takeaways from this outing.
Third Period Collapse
Last night’s game marked the first time this season that the Flames have dropped a game in which they led after two periods. You could feel it coming, as they gave up the tying goal to Clayton Keller just 37 seconds into the third frame. Less than two minutes later, it was Lawson Crouse who gave Utah the lead, and they never looked back.
While frustrating, this isn’t the type of game fans should be overly worried about. A lack of effort hasn’t been a concern for this team very often – if at all – this season. Though it did appear to be the case last night, it was likely nothing more than a team being a bit flat-footed after an emotional and intense game versus the Vancouver Canucks two nights prior.
Flames Not Happy With Calls
The officiating wasn’t the sole reason the Flames lost this game, but it didn’t help. Many Flames players were upset with a few calls they deemed soft that went against them, while also feeling that there were some missed the other way. One player in particular who expressed frustration was Nazem Kadri, who ended up getting a 10-minute misconduct late in the second, as did Utah forward Liam O’Brien.
“I got a 10-minute misconduct for talking, two minutes for hitting. Not quite sure what was going on out there,” Kadri said to Flames reporters afterward.
There was also a rather questionable call on Kevin Rooney in the second period, where he shoved Juuso Valimaki after the whistle. Though it seemed quite harmless, he was given a two-minute minor and was quite upset about it. He even went as far as to mock the officials by sarcastically hugging Ryan Lomberg after he was able to draw a call in the Flames’ favour later on in the second.
Young Guns Played Big
While it’s tough to look at the positives in a game that had this disappointing of an ending, you can’t help but be impressed with what we are seeing from Connor Zary and Matt Coronato. The Flames’ two brightest young talents (aside from Dustin Wolf) have grown leaps and bounds this season, and were once again very noticeable in a positive way in this one.
Zary scored the second goal of the game for his 10th of the season. He had several other chances as well, including what would have been a goal-of-the-year candidate in the second period in which he dangled past Valimaki but bobbled the puck just before putting it on net.
Related: 3 Bold Predictions for the Calgary Flames in 2025
As for Coronato, he finished the night with an assist on Brayden Pachal’s second-period marker. He’s now up to 19 points in 33 games, which is a major improvement from a season ago in which he managed nine in 34 outings. He also nearly tied the game up late in the third on an excellent opportunity. It seems that nearly every game he’s creating offensively, which is quite exciting given that he’s still just 21 years old.
Looking Ahead for the Flames
The Flames will look to get into the win column for the first time in 2025 on Saturday, as they are set to take on the struggling Nashville Predators. They will then head out on the road for games on Tuesday and Wednesday against the Anaheim Ducks and LA Kings, before their final game of the week on Saturday, Jan. 11, versus the Kings once again.
