If any Calgary Flames fan had wished for Santa to deliver a Flames win in their first game out of the Christmas break, they would have felt disappointed by last night’s result. While head coach Ryan Huska’s team had a solid effort, it wasn’t enough, as they fell to the Seattle Kraken by a 2-1 final.
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Despite the solid effort, this was a typical game that we have seen from this Flames team over the past season and a half, and one that makes it tough to see things changing over the second half of the 2023-24 campaign, even for those with the utmost optimism. Here is a look at the three main takeaways from Wednesday night’s tilt.
Plenty of Shots with Little Results
Last season and at times in 2023-24, it seemed as though the Flames would dominate their opponent in shots, but come up empty in the win column. That was the case in this one, as they outshot the Kraken by a 36-21 total.
To the Flames’ credit, it wasn’t as if these shots were all forced on net from low-scoring opportunities. Kraken goaltender Chris Driedger made several great saves in this one, perhaps none better than the one on Elias Lindholm with the Kraken on the penalty kill in the second period. Momentum had to have been at an all-time high for Driedger, who was making his first NHL start in two seasons after suffering a torn ACL ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.
Markstrom the Second-Best Goalie on the Ice
After allowing four goals in Sunday night’s (Dec. 24) loss to the LA Kings, Huska showed confidence in Jacob Markstrom by giving him the start once again in this one. While the Swedish netminder made a few big saves for his team, he was tested far less than Driedger, yet gave up one more goal.
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The second goal will leave a sour taste in the mouths of Flames fans, as Markstrom was beaten on a rather sharp-angle shot off the stick of Alex Wennberg. It seemed as though the 33-year-old goaltender was caught cheating slightly as he expected Wennberg to pass, and the Kraken winger made him pay. It may not have been the softest goal ever, but one that Markstrom can’t give up late in a tie game.
Power Play Strikes Again
As bad as the Flames power play has been this season, it has been showing signs of life as of late. They came into this game having scored on the man advantage in each of their past two outings, and did so again in this one, as Nazem Kadri made a great effort to get into the blue paint and stuff one home after Yegor Sharangovich made a fantastic move to get Driedger out of his net.
The fact that the Flames still sit within a playoff spot despite having one of the league’s worst power plays thus far proves that if they can improve that area of their game, they could begin to do some damage. There is still plenty of improvement needed from them on the man advantage, but they are finally starting to show some life.
Looking Ahead for the Flames
The Flames will once again have a three-day break, before welcoming the Philadelphia Flyers to town on Sunday night. Despite not entering the season with much expectations, the Flyers have been very solid through 33 games with an 18-11-4 record. They will be looking to improve on that, while the Flames will be looking to snap their two-game drought and better themselves from their current 14-16-5 record. They should have plenty of motivation, as despite the rather disappointing record, they sit just five points shy of a wild-card position.
