Most nights, the Calgary Flames calling card is their work ethic and hustle. But playing their fifth game in eight nights in five different cities across the continent, the Flames needed to work smarter, not harder during their visit to Vancouver.
It was obvious their brains and bodies were tired during the Flames’ 3-1 loss to the Canucks on Tuesday. They’ve played a lot of hockey: Overtime in Montreal; overtime in Boston; a shootout in Buffalo and a quick stop at home on Monday for a win over the Los Angeles Kings that was arguably their best performance of the season before jumping right back on a plane for their second contest on the coast.
Not that fatigue an excuse. There’s always a road map to victory, but the Flames didn’t execute it well enough to force another comeback. They made too many mistakes in positioning and puck possession and they didn’t have the energy to recover on too many occasions.
“In those situations, that’s where the team has to learn to simplify at times,” Flames head coach Ryan Huska told reporters in Vancouver of the puck management problems.
Even with Justin Kirkland scoring the game’s opening goal, and their traditional third-period push, The Flames were just out of gas and outmatched by the end.
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Most of the scoring took place in a short span, with Kirkland netting his second of the season in the final minute of the opening period. The Canucks turned the tide just 23 seconds into the next frame with Pettersson’s goal all alone in front of the net. A little more than two minutes later, Suter made it 2-1.
“I think the work ethic was there from our guys but some of the decision making wasn’t the greatest. I think that’s what got us into trouble,” Huska said.
“If you want to win and get to where you want to be, you have to find a way to win these games. That’s something we have to be better at next time.”
Dan Vladar faced 32 shots on the night, including 26 through the first 40 minutes. Elias Pettersson had a goal and an assist on his 26th birthday to pace the Canucks to victory. Pius Suter and Erik Brannstrom piled on and the Calgary Flames saw their four-game point streak snapped.
They fell to 8-6-3 on the season but catch up on a little rest before the Nashville Predators visit the Saddledome on Friday night.
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