The Carolina Hurricanes visited the Calgary Flames for the Flames’ last game before the All-Star break, bringing with them former Flames Dougie Hamilton and Micheal Ferland. A highly anticipated return for two major players for the Flames from previous seasons, they both had a warm welcome from the C of Red.
Under two minutes into the first period, Oliver Kylington put the Flames up 1-0. Garnet Hathaway and Rasmus Andersson would get the assists. The Swedish rookies connecting alongside Hathaway for a goal boasts just how well the Flames have developed their players.
Later in the period, Hamilton would tie the game for the Hurricanes, as his initial shot was tipped past David Rittich by T.J. Brodie. The game would remain tied heading into the first intermission.
In the second period, the teams found themselves playing four-on-four hockey, with Lucas Wallmark and Sean Monahan sitting in their respective penalty boxes. On the ensuing play, Mark Jankowski picked up a loose puck right in front of Petr Mrazek, who had no chance on making the save.
The Flames would hold a 2-1 lead all the way through until the final minute of regulation, where Sebastian Aho tied the game thanks to some pretty passing from Teuvo Teravainen and Justin Williams.
As the game headed to overtime, Bill Peters opted to start Mikael Backlund, Elias Lindholm, and Brodie to start the extra frame. The trio only needed 15 seconds to win the game; Backlund scored a highlight-reel goal that beat Mrazek far-side. The Flames head to the All-Star break six points clear of the San Jose Sharks with a game in hand.
Statistical Breakdown
Team Stats
| All Situations | 5v5 | SVA 5v5 | |
| CF | 40.2% | 35.0% | 36.3% |
| SCF | 40.8% | 33.3% | 33.0% |
| HDCF | 47.6% | 30.8% | 30.3% |
5v5 Player Stats
Calgary Flames
- James Neal led the Flames with four scoring chances
- Hathaway led the Flames with a 64.7 CF%
- Backlund was in his own zone for much of the night, ending at a game-low 21.4%
Carolina Hurricanes
- Teravainen was a game-high 75.9 CF%
- Williams had a game-high 3 iHDCF
- Every single Hurricane was at in the green for CF%; Saku Maenalanen was a team-low 50.0 CF%.
Stats courtesy: Natural Stat Trick
Line Combinations
Calgary Flames
Gaudreau – Monahan – Lindholm
Neal – Backlund – Frolik
Tkachuk – Jankowski – Bennett
Mangiapane – Ryan – Hathaway
Giordano – Brodie
Hanifin – Hamonic
Kylington – Andersson
Rittich
Smith
Carolina Hurricanes
Ferland – Aho – Williams
Niederreiter – McKegg – Teravainen
McGinn – Wallmark – Svechnikov
Foegele – Maenalanen – Martinook
Slavin – Pesce
de Haan – Faulk
van Riemsdyk – Hamilton
Mrazek
Nedeljkovic
Stats courtesy: DailyFaceoff
Thoughts on the Game
It certainly wasn’t a pretty game, but as the Flames have done all season, they found a way to win. They played sloppily, loose defensively, and still never trailed in the game. Perhaps they were looking forward to a nice 10 day break, and thankfully their lacklustre still resulted in a win.
The game last night was definitely within grasp because of Rittich. He was fantastic again in the crease, and there’s no doubt we’ll see him make the majority of the starts in the next 31 team games. Fingers crossed he can replicate his regular season success in the playoffs.
Not much else to say in this one. The Flames return to action after the break against the Capitals, who won’t have Alex Ovechkin in their lineup. He’ll be serving his one game suspension for skipping the All-Star game. Hopefully the Flames can start back on a high note.
The Gaud, the Bad, and the Beautiful
Good: Brodie made up for his gaff on Hamilton’s goal by earning two assists, including the overtime game-winner.
Bad: Johnny Gaudreau‘s point streak came to an end, though he ends January with 18 points in 11 games. He should be better.
Beautiful: The Flames head to the all-star break being only one of two teams with at least 70 points on the season.
Next Game
Opponent: Washington Capitals
Record:
Standings:
Season Series: 0-0-1
Photo by Terence Leung/NHLI via Getty Images
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