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Five observations from Calgary vs Boston:
1. Better...but still not good enough
The Flames were a mess when they played in Boston a week ago. They gave up way too many chances, their power play was horrendous, they couldn't generate anything – at one point they went ~10 minutes without an attempt! – and, quite frankly, they didn't belong on the same ice as the Bruins. David Rittich was the only guy who showed up.
That wasn't the case this time around – at least not down the stretch. After a shaky start, they held their own in the 2nd period and were the better side in the 3rd and overtime. Though Boston was the better team overall, Calgary had plenty of chances late to steal the game prior to Brad Marchand's winner. They just didn't take advantage.
In a vacuum, taking the leaders in points percentage to overtime is an acceptable result. It's hard not to come away disappointed, though, given where the Flames are at. They need wins.
2. David Rittich did his job
The Flames were slow coming out of the gate and once again Rittich was there to hold down the fort and allow time to find their footing.
He made some excellent stops on second and third chance opportunities, he came up with numerous big saves on odd-man rushes and breakaways, and he always looked comfortable in control.
Rittich was also effective using his stick. He broke up a couple cross-ice passes in order to prevent Bruins players from getting quality looks on the doorstep.
Good stick=work is becoming a common theme with him. I think it was the Nashville game where a player accepted a pass in front and went to make a move on him and he just chopped the puck away. Whatever works!
3. 3M slowed down the Patrice Bergeron line
Beyond Michael Frolik's 1st period turnover, which resulted in Boston's lone regulation goal, the 3M line did a fantastic job shutting down arguably the league's best trio.
The differences were negligible but Marchand saw the most time vs Mikael Backlund so we'll use those two to see how the matchup went.
As you can see, Bruins were outplayed with their top players on the ice. Unfortunately, one costly mistake allowed them to win the battle where it counts – on the scoreboard.
4. Sam Bennett needs to finish
Bennett had six shot attempts, five scoring chances and three high-danger looks. A lot of his opportunities came when he could have given the Flames the lead or, better yet, the win. He failed to convert, though, and missed the net entirely on four of his six attempts – including arguably the best couple.
The Flames have two fantastic lines but they often get cancelled out vs elite teams. When that happens, the Flames need other guys – such as a 4th overall pick – to step up. Bennett couldn't play hero and the Flames left a point on the table as a result.
5. The power play came through again
Don't look now but the Flames have scored a power play marker in five of their last six games. The lone exception came last week in Boston against the league's best penalty killing team. There is still room for improvement – particularly on their entries – but at least they're making some progress. They need the power play clicking down the stretch if they're going to squeeze into the playoffs.
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