Let’s get to the gossip first.
Nazem Kadri
I highly encourage you to check out today’s 32 Thoughts podcast. Starting around the 55:00 mark, Elliotte Friedman proceeds to go into speculation about Nazem Kadri’s current attitude.
You know the Flames to me they’re down 3-1. They look like they’re going to win that game. They lose in overtime. You know Kadri gets benched. It’s a weird benching to me. The one thing I’ll say about Kadri is the best thing about him and you remember the interview on the ice last year with David Amber after they won the cup. He’s blunt. He’s going to say what’s on his mind and I’ve heard that Kadri has been very vocal about what he sees going on in Calgary and why the team isn’t firing on all cylinders. And I think he’s been very blunt about just the communication between players and the coach there. So, I’m betting some of that frustration boiled over in that game on Saturday night. And so, I’m curious to see where this is all gonna go.
Kadri didn’t see any overtime. His final shift was at 58:31. It didn’t really seem like much of a benching. He just had another bad game and didn’t deserve to play any 3-on-3.
Saturday marked the ninth instance this season where Kadri has put up a -2 rating at even strength. The two goals against you can certainly give partial credit to Kadri. Let’s take a cursory glance.
Goal One
The second goal of the game. Dallas forward, Radek Faksa, receives a pass from Roope Hintz off of a broken play. Kadri was the closest Flames player and the only one able to catch Faksa. You see him slumped in the middle there. Not mid-stride. Just coasting over to the shooter walking into the slot.
Goal Two
The sequence begins with Kadri losing the defensive zone faceoff clean. He throws a quick hook on Jamie Benn before gliding to the middle of the low slot.
The 32-year-old puts himself behind Zadorov, covering no one. This isn’t the first time he’s skated behind Zadorov like that. Now Kadri is out of the play, his defencemen are confused, and he’s not picking up a forward. The forward that he could have tied up with, rookie Wyatt Johnson, scores on the tip-in. You can see him wide open on the right side.
To call out coaching after those two efforts simply feels misguided. With that said, it’s also likely that Darryl Sutter isn’t being polite about the recent play if the former Stanley Cup winner. The London, Ontario native likely needs a hard reset on this season. Hopefully, he gets back to having fun on the ice in the near future.
As for the rest of the team.
Saturday night featured the Calgary Flames breaking a franchise record in a bad way.
15 overtime or shootout losses is officially the high mark for the organization. Compare that to the league average of 8.03 and we see a team that excels at disappointing when it matters the most.
We can attribute it to bad luck, it can be looked at as a defensive issue, and it can be looked at as an offensive issue. At the end of the day, if they were to just trim one-third of those extra time losses into wins — we’re looking at a team securely in a wildcard position with 82 points at the 70-game mark.
On a more optimistic note, Calgary has gleaned at least one point in six of their last seven games. The Jets, who they sit four points behind in the standings, have lost three of their last four games.
Likewise, the Predators have lost three games in a row. They have a single point to show for those three contests.
Even the Seattle Kraken, who are a daunting six points up on Calgary, have lost four of their last five.
All Calgary would need to do is go on (arguably) their first hot streak of the season and there
may still be hope.
The Opposition
The LA Kings are running at a high clip heading into tonight’s game. Seven wins in their last nine, overtime losses in the other two. They’re running the second-best defence in the NHL since February 28 — 2.11 goals against per game. That puts them behind only
checks notes the Vancouver Canucks over that span.
Both teams suffered an overtime loss on Saturday. Calgary to Dallas and LA to
checks notes the Vancouver Canucks.
Expect a stingy one tonight. Unless.
Old Habits
The Flames surrendering two goals in the first two minutes of the game brought back some memories of earlier this season.
A goal against within the first three shots? Check.
Jacob Markstrom prone on the ice as his team scrambles to get a stick on the rebound? Check.
Two one-goal leads surrendered and the eventual loss in overtime?
All of the ingredients were present. If the Flames want any chance of securing two points tonight, they’ll need to tighten up around their net.
Calgary Flames Projected Lineup
Courtesy of Eric Francis.
@EricFrancis
Mangiapane Lindholm Toffoli
Huberdeau Backlund Coleman
Pelletier Kadri Dube
Ritchie Ruzicka Lewis
Weegar-Andersson
Hanifin-Tanev
Zadorov-Stecher
Markstrom
Vladar
LA Kings Projected Lineup
Courtesy of dailyfaceoff.com.
Byfield – Kopitar – Kempe
Moore – Danault – Arvidsson
Iafallo – Lizotte – Vilardi
Grundstrom – Kupari – MacEwen
Anderson – Doughty
Gavrikov – Roy
Edler – Walker
Copley
Korpisalo
Game time is 8:30 pm MST. Catch the broadcast on SportsNet West in Canada and Bally Sports West in the United States.
Trevor Neufeld
@Trevor_Neufeld
Stats via naturalstattrick.com and nhl.com. Quote via the 32 Thoughts podcast from Rogers Media.
Calgary Flames Blogger • 
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