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“It’s time for us to begin giving a s— about it.”
These had been the phrases of Calgary Flames head coach Geoff Ward after one other irritating loss on Wednesday night time
4 straight video games towards the Vancouver Canucks earned the Flames two victories.
By means of 16 video games in 2021, they’ve received eight.
Sooner or later, you’re what you’re. After their 5-1 loss to the Canucks on Wednesday, the Flames are again to being a .500 hockey group. No matter they suppose they are often this season, all obtainable proof suggests their document is a fairly correct indicator of what they’re as a bunch — no less than proper now.
“Inconsistent might be one of the simplest ways (to explain the 4 video games towards the Canucks), however we’ve been speaking about that for some time now,” Flames head coach Geoff Ward mentioned after the loss. “It’s time to place this factor to mattress and take cost and take management of what we are able to. We definitely can management the way in which we begin. We definitely can management how we take note of particulars, how arduous we compete, how a lot we care … All these issues are definitely inside our management.
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“It’s time for us to begin giving a s— about it.”
Wednesday night time’s effort towards the Canucks (8-11-1) was removed from the worst efficiency by the Flames (8-7-1) on the season. You possibly can argue that it wasn’t even their worst or second-worst displaying throughout this week-long four-game stretch towards the Canucks.
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Within the first two video games of the mini-series, they in all probability performed worse, however Jacob Markstrom bailed them out and so they managed to win one.
With Markstrom handing over his first unhealthy sport of the 12 months on Wednesday, although, they had been out of it by the tip of the second interval and needed to accept a 5-1 loss.
This wasn’t a ‘sky-is-falling’ displaying by the Flames, but it surely wasn’t essentially a sport they’ll really feel like they deserved to win, both.
They began poorly, as is their wont, when a Dominik Simon turnover within the impartial zone led to Jamie Benn slotting residence for the Canucks on a two-on-one simply 1:46 into the primary interval.
After that, although, the Flames largely settled in. They created alternatives and managed the Canucks’ zone for prolonged stretches. They definitely weren’t outplayed for the rest of the primary.
The identical may very well be mentioned for a lot of the second interval, however a Markstrom mistake put them down 2-0. After which the ultimate two minutes of the body actually couldn’t have gone a lot worse.
After storming out of his crease and taking out Tanner Pearson along with his pads early within the second, Markstrom tried to do one thing related about six minutes later, as Bo Horvat cut up via Juuso Valimaki and Mark Giordano within the pursuit of a bouncing puck. Markstrom’s timing was off, although, and Horvat calmly and coolly skated previous him and buried the puck right into a wide-open web.
It was a wierd, hard-to-explain choice by Markstrom, however he’s earned himself sufficient good will along with his stellar play this season that Flames followers in all probability can’t be too mad at him for getting one incorrect.
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“Not pleased — I’ve gotta be higher. That’s it,” Markstrom mentioned. “I had no enterprise going out on both of them, and, you recognize, one I acquired fortunate sufficient that it hit my pad with the puck, and the opposite one, they scored. You need to assist the group win and cease pucks and never give targets away like that, so it’s irritating whenever you’re serving to the opposite group as an alternative of serving to your personal group.”
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The Canucks had been up 2-0, however the Flames pressed forward. There are particular issues the group at all times talks about after unhealthy video games. Issues like getting the puck low, making brief passes and preserving issues easy. For a lot of the second interval, they appeared to be doing these issues.
When Andrew Mangiapane minimize the Canucks’ lead in half with 1:47 left within the interval, there was each motive to imagine the sport was up-for-grabs.
It was not.
Simply 15 seconds later, J.T. Miller made it 3-1. Thirty-seven seconds after that, Nate Schmidt added one other for the Canucks.
Sport. Set. Match.
In the end, Brock Boeser would add a fifth for the Canucks within the third interval and the Flames would pull Markstrom a short while later and permit David Rittich to complete off the night time.
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There have been issues to love about Wednesday’s efficiency. The Flames have nonetheless received 4 of their final six. With two video games towards the Edmonton Oilers this weekend, they’ve an actual probability to leap their provincial rivals within the standings.
Perhaps they’ll discover a approach to win each. The consistency they’re trying to find, although? That’s proving to be awfully elusive, and the Flames have to discover a answer quick.
“Quite a lot of points are solved simply by working arduous and competing,” Ward mentioned. “That’s acquired to turn out to be extra constant for us, for positive, 100%. We’ve acquired to maneuver our ft much more persistently than we do proper now. After we skate, we are able to play. After we don’t skate, you’ve acquired no probability on this league.
“These are two areas that we have to begin, after which clearly listening to the small print of the construction. We’ve acquired to do a significantly better job in sure areas there. For those who play with construction, your talent has an opportunity to come back out. For those who play with no construction, you’ve acquired no probability. These are all areas we are able to deal with, but it surely all begins with work ethic.”
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MORE COMING
Thus far, Rittich has made a grand whole of two begins in 15 video games this season for the Flames.
Count on to see extra of him quickly.
Whereas Markstrom’s play has been an enormous level of energy for the Flames, Ward has each intention of getting Rittich extra enjoying time.
“We speak about it. Now, we’re attending to the purpose within the schedule the place we’re enjoying loads, so we’re going to begin utilizing (Rittich) much more than what he’s already performed,” Ward mentioned. “We’ll in all probability go on a week-by-week foundation. We’ll sit down with the goalies at first of the week and type of map out what the potential schedule’s going to seem like for them.
“It’s, after all, topic to numerous issues: Accidents, enjoying very well, opponent … We’re going to have a plan in place for these guys so that they type of know what their week goes to seem like, and we’ll take it from there.”
With the Flames enjoying back-to-back towards the Oilers on Friday and Saturday, it looks like nearly a sure-thing that Rittich will begin no less than a kind of two video games.
ICE CHIPS
Brett Ritchie made his Flames debut on Wednesday night time. Ritchie, who has 268 video games of NHL expertise with the Boston Bruins and the Dallas Stars over six seasons,signed knowledgeable tryout contract throughout coaching camp after which inked a one-year cope with the Flames proper earlier than the beginning of the common season. Byron Froese was scratched … Mikael Backlund was again within the lineup after lacking Monday’s sport with a lower-body harm … After enjoying one another six occasions in 32 days, the Flames and the Canucks don’t play one another once more till March 31 once they face off in Vancouver … The Flames acquired off to a different tough begin on Wednesday, permitting a purpose simply 1:46 into the sport, however for probably the most half recovered fairly rapidly and performed properly within the opening 20 minutes. They’ve had unhealthy first intervals in a bunch of video games thus far this season, but it surely wouldn’t actually be honest to name Wednesday’s opening stanza one in every of them.
daustin@postmedia.com
