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Losses continue to pile up as Flames fall to Maple Leafs |
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Five notes from Calgary vs Toronto:
1) Once again I thought the Flames played a solid game and deserved a better result. For the first half of the contest they were mostly held to low-danger shots from the outside but as time passed, the Flames started getting into dangerous areas and really testing Frederik Andersen. He made some excellent saves in the 3rd period and was fantastic in overtime while being peppered with high-danger looks. Goaltending was the difference and, as has often been the case over the last few weeks, it wasn't the Flames that got the better of it.
Fun fact: they have outshot their opponents by 43 over the last two games and come away with one point.
2) Toronto leads the league in expected goals for/60 on the man advantage yet came up empty-handed on four opportunities last night. The Maple Leafs absolutely generated some good looks but the Flames did a nice job of clearing the puck and preventing some second chances. Mikael Backlund and Michael Frolik also went on a nice rush to create a good scoring chance of their own. Considering how poor the PK has been, I think the Flames have to be pretty happy with 4/4 against the Leafs even if the process wasn't perfect.
3) Johnny Gaudreau has hit a cold spell finding the scoresheet in just one of his last six games but I thought he was excellent against Toronto. He was really dynamic with the puck on his stick and was a consistent threat offensively, especially in the latter half of the game and in overtime. I feel like he's on the verge of going on another nice run offensively.
4) Overall Mike Smith had a solid game but the lone goal that did beat him looked like a very stoppable puck. It's hard to fault a guy who was beaten once in 65 minutes but the Flames are in a bit of a rut here and, if he makes that save, maybe they get out of it. Now they have to try and beat a hot Montreal team in the latter half of a road back-to-back.
5) I love Matthew Tkachuk's game – he's one of my favorite players in hockey – but he really needs to cut some of the crap out of his game. You can't stick someone in the gut during a scrum under any circumstances but especially when you're on the bench. It wasn't exactly a vicious spear but it could be enough to get him a game on the sidelines, which the Flames simply can't afford right now. They need all hands on deck, not one of their best players sitting because of a dumb suspension.
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Calgary Flames Blogger • 
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