It was a slight setback for this Flames workforce, though not one that may seemingly do a lot to kill the great vibes which might be coming from the locker room
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The Calgary Flames nonetheless have a giant zero within the loss column.
However for the primary time on this quick 2024-25 NHL season, the Flames left the rink on Saturday evening with out two factors after they fell 2-1 to the Seattle Kraken in extra time.
There’s no disgrace in beginning the season with 9 factors from 5 video games as a substitute of the utmost of 10, and so they have been by no means going to go 82-0-0 this season.
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However the actuality for the Flames is that they aren’t good anymore.
There’ll certainly be some frustration with the best way Saturday’s recreation ended, although. Errors price them, even when coming away with some extent from an away recreation isn’t one thing anybody goes to lose sleep over.
They’d taken the lead within the first interval on a power-play aim from Blake Coleman, solely to let the Kraken again into the sport by permitting a five-on-three with Jonathan Huberdeau and Kevin Bahl within the field halfway via the second interval. Chandler Stephenson made the Flames pay.
A careless turnover by Nazem Kadri in extra time sealed the deal, with Jordan Eberle taking the 2 factors for the Kraken.
And so, it was a slight setback for this Flames workforce, though not one that may seemingly do a lot to kill the great vibes which might be coming from the Saddledome locker room.
1. All you can ask for
The battle for the Flames’ beginning job in internet doesn’t appear to be giving us any clear solutions simply but.
We imply that in the very best approach, although.
To this point this season, each Dustin Wolf and Dan Vladar have been responding to the competitors by stepping up.
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Wolf was nice in opposition to the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.
On Saturday, it was Vladar’s flip and he didn’t disappoint.
He stopped 21 of 23 photographs, however that stat line doesn’t actually inform the entire story.
Vladar was the Flames’ finest participant on the evening and the primary motive why they discovered themselves going to extra time.
He made stops on a pair two-on-ones within the first interval, was aggressive along with his poke-check all through the sport and confirmed nice positioning and rebound management from begin to end.
It was one other good evening in internet for the Flames and with Vladar and Wolf each rising to the event, it feels as if we’re no nearer to having the ability to say who the starter is that this season.
2. Giveaway in OT
Kadri’s had a terrific begin to the season, so it’s not value getting too offended about his turnover on the sport’s closing play.
It was a second he’d most likely wish to have again, although.
The veteran collected the puck deep in his personal zone and took off. Just a few strides later, he tried to make a transfer in the direction of the center of the ice, solely to have Eberle strip him of the puck.
A pair seconds later, it was recreation over.
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It’s not a play he’ll be wanting ahead to revisiting in video assessment classes this week, that’s for positive.
In his defence, although, Kadri had an in any other case stable evening and his line with Matt Coronato and Andrei Kuzmenko created a pair near-miss alternatives late within the third interval that would have received the sport for the Flames.
No person’s going to be writing Kadri off based mostly on one mistake. It’s exhausting to think about he’ll make it twice.
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3. Coleman opens his account
I’ll be sincere that it caught me off guard when the commentators for Saturday evening’s recreation stated that Coleman’s aim was his first of the yr.
He’s been having a powerful begin to the season and after scoring 30 final yr, this naïve reporter assumed he’d already potted one.
Seems that Coleman did open his account on Saturday, and it was a pleasant heads-up play to fireside a shot on the internet via a crowd late within the first interval.
In a recreation the place each groups have been taking part in tight-checking, structured hockey, offence was exhausting to come back by at occasions.
We’ve seen this yr that the Flames are at their finest once they’re getting targets from up and down the lineup, and whereas that didn’t occur on Saturday they confirmed as a substitute that they’re up for the struggle if it’s going to be a testy, low-scoring recreation, too — even when the ultimate consequence didn’t go their approach.
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