The Calgary Flames, as they often do, made things interesting on Saturday afternoon versus the Buffalo Sabres. While they fought hard over the second half of the game, it wasn’t enough, as they wound up falling by a 3-2 shootout final.
With the loss, the Flames fall to 7-5-3 on the season. The Sabres are a team you would have liked to see the Flames grab two points against, though they deserve some credit for battling back in what was yet another game they trailed early. With that said, here are the three main takeaways from this one.
Slow Start Proves Costly
The Flames have been getting a ton of credit for battling back in games, and rightfully so. Their belief that they are never out of a game is inspiring, as is their relentless work ethic. That said, they need to figure out a way to put together a full 60, as there have been far too many games this season where they’ve started slow out of the gate.
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That was the case once again today, as the Flames were completely dominated by the Sabres in the first period, and were trailing 2-0 after 20 minutes as a result. Had it not been for Dan Vladar, this one could have been a lot uglier and turned into a blowout rather than a shootout final.
Coronato Continues to Impress
With the Flames up against the ropes, it wasn’t one of their veterans who stepped up and brought them back into the fight, but 21-year-old Matt Coronato. He has been superb as of late with a recent two-goal outing versus the Montreal Canadiens, and kept it going today with a nice finish on a superb pass from MacKenzie Weegar.
Coronato has now found the back of the net five times in 10 games this season, a phenomenal improvement from the three he scored in 34 in 2023-24. There are sure to still be some growing pains moving forward, but it’s becoming quite evident that he won’t be spending any more time in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Vladar Steady Again
While plenty of things have gone right for the Flames this season, there has arguably been nothing as impressive as their goaltending. There weren’t many with much confidence going into the season with a Dustin Wolf/Dan Vladar tandem, but so far, the two have both been exceptional.
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Vladar had to really battle in this one after giving up two goals less than 15 minutes in, but was able to stay calm and prevented this game from really getting out of hand. Though the stat sheet will show he only had to make 17 saves, it hides the fact that several were high-quality scoring chances. He was superb in this one, as he has been more often than not to begin the 2024-25 season.
Looking Ahead for the Flames
As mentioned, the Flames now sit at 7-5-3 following today’s result, which gives them 17 points on the season. While most will say it’s far too early to look at the playoff picture, they sit in the top wild-card spot in the Western Conference, which nobody would have envisioned before the season began.
With that said, the Flames have lost two in a row, and three of their last four. They’ll look to put together a better 60-minute effort on Monday, as they return to the Saddledome to face the LA Kings. After that, they’ll head back out on the road for a game on Tuesday versus the Vancouver Canucks, before returning to Calgary once again to take on the Nashville Predators in their final game of the week on Friday. That game in particular is a winnable one, as the Predators have been shockingly bad to begin the season.
