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Well, the Flames have done it again, they have managed to battle very hard and keep a game against one of the leagues current best teams, within one goal.
Given that the Anaheim Ducks currently hold a record of 47-18-7 compared to the Flames record of 30-36-7, any projection made for last night’s game would have indicated an easy win for the Ducks, likely by a few goals. With that being said, most who seemingly try and make accurate pregame projections toward the Flames have simply not been watching many of their games this year and often miss one key component; this team works hard.
Prior to last night’s game, the Ducks were able to keep five of their past ten games within one goal, of which four were losses. With respect to the Calgary Flames, they have managed to keep seven of their past ten games played within one goal, and of the games that were separated by more than a goal, they won all three.
That should be something to smile about for any Flames fan. Clearly, as I mentioned the moment he became coach, Hartley's strong defensive system is proving to be difficult for Western Conference teams to outscore his group by more than one goal. Provided the team can continue this trend into future years, when their team fully develops, I would argue a larger number of those close games turn into wins. But I’m getting ahead of myself here.
“That’s the way you learn sometimes, too. You learn from tough losses,… said Brian McGrattan. “Our group hasn’t given up all year. We’re in every game and work our butts off right until the end and that’s a good sign.…
“If you look at the young guys throughout the year, how they’re showing up against these teams late in the year when we’re playing San Jose, L.A., Anaheim — we’re playing all these top teams down the stretch and we’re giving them a run for the money every night. That’s a lot to build off of as a group and it’s a lot to learn from.…
With respect to last night, the Flames looked rather dominant in the first period. They had a very strong cycle game in the offensive zone, keep constant puck pressure and made it difficult for Anaheim’s defense to move the puck out of their own end. They created several quality scoring chances, and would eventually be rewarded with two goals in the 2nd period from some strong net presence by Brian McGrattan.
Later in the second period, with only a few seconds left, Smid would find Jiri Hudler all alone to the right and dished the puck over for a perfectly executed one timer to the back of the net. The Flames would end the 2nd period with a 2-1 lead, and a ton of confidence going into the third.
That said, the Ducks stronger roster would ultimately prevail as Anaheim found the back of the net twice in the third period. Given that the team has been struggling to find wins of late, I’m sure the 2nd period intermission discussion was one that got the players going, as their play seemed to settled down enough to overthrow Calgary’s defense.
“They paid the price and when they came to the net, they had a lot of shots and a lot of traffic with them. They were into the game today, unlike the last game. I think they had a chip on their shoulders when they came here today.… said Ramo, reflecting on their 7-2 win over the Ducks during their last game played.
What I liked to see out of the entire game, as previously mentioned, was their work ethic. Up until the dying minutes of the game, knowing that the game at hand makes no real different in terms of season end results (for the team anyways), the Flames were battling very hard to get the tying goal with several near misses and opportune chances to score created by a well-managed cycle game.
As Ramo explains during his postgame presser, this team isn’t about making excuses and accepting defeat given their circumstance. The system and leadership which Bob Hartley has instilled among his team is one that everyone is playing with their hearts on their sleeves, and it shows on the ice.
“It’s a good effort. We know we can play with every team in the league but it’s not good enough — a good effort, we have to get results too. That’s the business of hockey,… said Ramo.
The Flames will take to the ice tomorrow night against the New York Rangers who are also fighting to maintain a playoff spot.
Thanks for reading!