The Calgary Flames ended their unofficial first half of the season by blowing a 2-0 third-period lead, as the visiting Seattle Kraken picked up a 3-2 overtime victory on Saturday night at the Saddledome.
As the Flames enter the 4 Nations Face-off break, they have lost three in a row and are 2-5-1 since their three-game win streak in mid-January.
Inability to Play 60 Minutes Turns Costly
The Flames were outshot 10-9 in the opening period and spent a fair share of time shorthanded, bailed out numerous times by Dustin Wolf. In the second period, Calgary dominated the middle frame, going up 1-0 and outshooting the Kraken 13-5.
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However, that was the last stretch of good hockey they would play for the remainder of the contest. They coasted into the final half of the period, allowing Seattle to get one and eventually tying things up a little over two minutes later.
Despite pinning the Kraken in their zone to begin overtime, it was too little too late at that point, as the Flames didn’t even register a shot on goal before a costly penalty put them down a man.
Eventually, Seattle got a power play goal and stormed back to win the contest after Calgary stopped hustling in the final period, costing them two points.
Wolf Can Use a Break
Wolf has played 36 games this season and is now just 19 starts away from tying a career-high of 55, which he set with the Calgary Wranglers in 2022-23. Last year, he played 53 between the AHL and NHL.
Last night, the 23-year-old kept the Flames in the game with highlight reel saves, a common theme this season as Calgary continues to be one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league.
During the 2023-24 season, Wolf played 11 of the final 18 games, earning a 6-4-0 record. During that stretch, the Flames scored 58 goals to have the league’s 18th-ranked offense. Currently, Calgary has 145 goals this season to rank 30th.
Even though Wolf is a dark horse to win the Calder Trophy, he can only carry his team so far until they have to pick up the slack and win games on their own or run the risk of running their rookie goalie down.
No One Can Blame Officiating
After the game ended, fans stormed social media to say unkind things about the NHL officials who worked last night. Unfortunately, it’s not their fault the Flames lost in overtime. Their undoing was nothing but their own.
Of course, there’s an argument that the call that put Seattle on the power play was weak, but the Flames themselves got away with a blatant cross-check call roughly 30 seconds earlier.
Meanwhile, before signing off the air, analyst Greg Millen pointed out that the Flames put themselves in a position to lose by blowing a 2-0 lead late in the third period.
Unfortunately, this theme is slowly sinking their season. The team’s inability to close out games and score more than two goals is why the gap in the wildcard race is gradually growing, currently up to three points.
The Flames only have one more home game before two possible season-defining road trips in March. Those games will define their character and whether or not they are a true playoff contender.
