The Calgary Flames dropped their second-straight game on Tuesday night, as they fell to the Washington Capitals by a 3-1 final. This was actually a rather impressive game from the Flames, who out-chanced and outshot a team that is currently tied for first in the NHL standings. That said, they were unable to pick up any points at a time when they could really use them.
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This game lined up with what we have seen from the Flames this season, as they weren’t able to put many up on the board, but also did a good job at limiting high-danger opportunities against. While they weren’t able to get the result they had aimed for, there are things they can build off of this loss. With that said, here are the three main takeaways from this outing.
Down a Goal Early
The Flames got off to a tough start in this one, as the Capitals were able to score on their first shot on goal less than two minutes in. It came off of an ugly turnover from MacKenzie Weegar, who gave the puck away to Pierre-Luc Dubois up the middle. The Capitals forward made no mistake, snapping one over the glove of Dustin Wolf to give his team the early lead.
The Flames have had trouble starting on time often this season, and last night was no different. Oftentimes, they’ve been able to dig themselves out of early holes, but playing against one of the league’s best is a good lesson that comebacks aren’t going to occur each and every night. They’re going to need to figure out how to start games on time going forward.
Andersson and Wilson Get Chippy
Both Tom Wilson and Rasmus Andersson are players known to wear their emotions on their sleeve, and last night we saw the two go at it on several occasions in the third period. Andersson seemed to take exception to Wilson selling a call on Adam Klapka early in the third, and the two were engaged with one another for the rest of the outing.
Andersson was seen in the penalty box making fun of Wilson for his overreaction on Klapka’s two-minute infraction, while Wilson seemed to not only mock Andersson’s well-discussed goal celebrations, but the way he wears his helmet. At the end of the day, it’s all harmless fun between two highly competitive individuals, but it made for quite the discussion between the Flames and Capitals’ respective fan bases on social media.
Barrie Makes Big Impression
It’s been quite a while since Tyson Barrie suited up for the Flames. The 33-year-old last played in November and was recently sent to the American Hockey League (AHL) on a conditioning stint to try and get him back up to speed. That stint wound up being crucial, as Barrie was back in the lineup last night due to an injury to Kevin Bahl.
“I thought Tyson did a good job tonight,” head coach Ryan Huska said to reporters. “He hit the crossbar too on that one play. Would’ve been nice if that would’ve went [in] for him, would’ve made for quite the night. He’s got a skill on the offensive blue line, and he moves the puck with a lot of confidence when he’s up there. I thought he did an excellent job tonight.”
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Barrie was all around the puck offensively, picking up an assist on a Blake Coleman goal and ringing one off the crossbar later in the second period. He wound up playing north of 17 minutes, and could very well be back in the lineup on Thursday night thanks to this performance.
Looking Ahead for the Flames
The Flames have three games remaining this week, the first of which will come on Thursday versus the Anaheim Ducks. They will then take on the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, before heading out on the road to take on the Seattle Kraken on Sunday. They will all be huge games as they look to remain ahead of the Vancouver Canucks in the playoff race.
