The Calgary Flames appeared to have a good thing going as of late. They entered Wednesday night’s game versus the Nashville Predators with seven points over their past four games, and had a chance to enter American Thanksgiving in a wild card position if they would have been able to come out with a win.
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That was far from the case, however, as the Flames fell to the Predators by a 4-2 final in a game that could have been even worse. Their effort level at Bridgestone Arena was simply not good enough, something head coach Ryan Huska admitted when speaking with reporters afterward. While it’s only one game, it feels like a major step backward for a team that appeared to be turning things around.
Flames Consistency Still Lacking
The problem with this Flames team all of last season and through the first 19 games of the 2023-24 campaign is that you never seem to know what you are going to get from game to game. There are nights where they appear to be playoff calibre and others where they look like a team who should be at the bottom of the standings.
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On Wednesday night, it was the latter. They started out very slow, giving up a Colton Sissons goal just two and a half minutes in. To their credit, they didn’t let it fold them and responded shortly after with a goal of their own from Noah Hanifin, but wound up heading into the first intermission trailing 2-1.
Though the score remained 2-1 heading into the third, the Predators were the better team from then on out, and were able to grab a 4-1 lead before a late shorthanded goal by Yegor Sharangovich gave the Flames their second and final tally of the night.
Their poor performance was demonstrated by the shot clock, as the Preds threw 45 shots at Jacob Markstrom, while the Flames mustered up just 26 of their own. Had this game come on the second half of a back-to-back it may have been explainable, but they had themselves nearly 48 hours of rest after defeating the Seattle Kraken in overtime on Monday (Nov. 20).
Top Players Struggled
While several of the Flames’ top players have been turning things around as of late, they struggled immensely in this one. Jonathan Huberdeau, Elias Lindholm, and Nazem Kadri were quite unnoticeable from an offensive perspective, combining for just five shots on the night, while all being outscored at even strength.
Also adding to the disappointment is that the Predators are a team they should be beating. Though the Preds do have some talent in their lineup, they were viewed by most as being closer to a lottery team than a playoff one heading into this season, and entered the game with a 7-10-0 record.
Tough Stretch Upcoming
Making matters worse for the Flames is that their schedule is about to get extremely difficult. Their next outing will come on Friday versus the Dallas Stars, before heading to Colorado to take on the Avalanche the very next night. Both teams entered the season being considered Stanley Cup contenders and have lived up to that bill through the first quarter of the year.
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After the back-to-back, the Flames will have a night off before welcoming the reigning Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights to town, and will then face off against the Stars three days later. It is a very difficult stretch for a team that won’t be coming out with any points if they put forth an effort similar to what they did versus the Predators. It also goes to show just how important winning games against non-playoff calibre teams are, which the Flames failed to do in their latest outing. Whether it was just an off-game or a sign of things to come remains to be seen, but we will have our answer very soon.