The Calgary Flames became the first team to play in 12 overtime games this season, losing to the Ottawa Senators 3-2 on Thursday night at the Saddledome.
The loss dropped Calgary to 1-1-2 in their five-game stretch. Jonathan Huberdeau hit his own 12th goal of the yearwith Blake Coleman grabbing another home run. Juniors Matt Coronato and Connor Zary combined for three assists.
Dan Vladar (26 saves) lost his second straight between the pipes, dropping his record to 6-6-5 on the season.
The Flames will host Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, heading into the Christmas break. Can they avoid the pitfalls that cost them the last two games?
A point is a point
As of Friday morning, no NHL team has played more overtime games in 2024-25 than the Flames, who went to overtime against the Senators, suffering their seventh overtime loss.
Interestingly, Calgary is not alone in this category, as the New York Islanders and Nashville Predators have also lost seven in overtime.
With one game remaining, Saturday afternoon against the Chicago Blackhawks, before the Christmas break, the Flames sit one point in second place on the wild card with a record of 15-11-7 and 37 points.
No one expected this. Instead, many have indicated that they will run for the lottery. Considering the Blackhawks are the 31st ranked team in the NHL, it’s important for Calgary to show up and stop leaving an extra point on the scoreboard.
Bad Bounces Can Sum Up Calgary’s Homestand
Dustin Wolf had a great game against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night and was on the other side of some bad bumps. The same can be said about Vladar’s performance on Thursday night.
First, defenseman Brayden Pachal took a deflection off Nick Cousins, who tied the game at 1-1 in the final minute of the opening period. Next, Ridly Greig scored on a short breakaway after a pass to Nazem Kadri at the blue line.
Vladar made the first save, but the puck bounced right off Gregig’s stick, and he buried the rebound. However, the misery didn’t end there, as Brady Tkachuk scored the game-winner 55 seconds into the game off a rebound off Vladar.
Earlier, Jonathan Huberdeau scored a lucky game-tying goal, but for the second game in a row, the Calgary netmen did everything they could to save, but the puck just found its way back into the sticks of a teammate. the net.
Is Home Cooking Declining?
Only ten teams have earned ten or more wins on home ice, the Flames one of six to reach 11. However, in its last six home games at the Saddledome, it is 2-1-3, with goal difference. remove 1.
Related: Can Wolf Become Fifth Flames Goaltender To Win 20 Home Games In One Season?
This stretch follows Calgary’s 4-0-0 streak from November 15 to 23, when they outscored opponents 11-6 on the scoreboard.
Despite a 1-2-0 record from October 22 to 26, it’s safe to say that this might be the worst the Flames have played at home, despite an 11-4-3 record in front of their loyal fans.
As Calgary approaches the final five-game home stretch of the season, there will be plenty of travel in the coming months, so they must finish this part of the schedule strong or risk losing their early season momentum.
Flames & Senators Trivia Answers
How did you beat ours Game Day Trivia questions? Here are the answers.
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Gary Leeman
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Johnny Gaudreau
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Mike Vernon
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Theo Fleury, Elias Lindholm
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Mike Vernon
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Theo Fleury
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Dwayne Roloson
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Joe Nieuwendyk
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Mikael Backlund
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Jarome Iginla
