The Calgary Flames made their way back to the Scotiabank Saddledome Tuesday night after their five-game road trip. Coming off a loss in Washington, the Flames were looking to get back on the right track with a win against the Arizona Coyotes. Although playing from behind for the majority of the game, the Flames used two goals in 49 seconds late in the third period to tie the game and send it to overtime. In the extra frame, the Flames caught a tired group of Coyotes on the ice which led to Matthew Tkachuk potting another OT winner. The Flames take this one 4-3 in OT.
Statistical Breakdown
| 5v5 SVA | CF% | SCF% | HDCF% | xGF% |
 | 58.1% | 53.3% | 37.5% | 52.6% |
 | 41.9% | 46.7% | 62.5% | 47.4% |
Team Stats
5v5 Player Stats
Calgary Flames
- Sam Bennett posted a game-high CF% of a ridiculous 87.5% yet was also on the ice for 4 HDCF and 9 HDCA
- Not a single Flames player posted a CF% below 50%, with Sean Monahan posting the lowest on the team with a 53.1%
- Although he got the monkey off his back and himself on the scoresheet, Johnny Gaudreau was on the ice for 5 HDCA and only 1 HDCF
Opponent
- Phil Kessel was stuck on the ice for the game winning goal, but did post a team high CF% of 66.7%
- Only two players posted CF%’s above 50%, Kessel and Christian Dvorak
- Christian Fischer had the worst CF% in the game with an atrocious 15.8%
Stats courtesy: Natural Stat Trick
Thoughts on the Game
Another day, another ridiculous comeback. Just like their performance in Nashville, the Flames were simply listless for the first 50 minutes of the game. They were sloppy on their passes, they couldn’t get anything generated past the stingy Coyote defense, and they continually were giving up odd-man rushes.
Calgary looked like a team that was bound to lose this game, until they simply didn’t. The one goal tipped in by Tkachuk turned the tide completely towards the Flames and you just knew somehow they were going to pull it off yet again.
It’s crazy to see the impact that both Tkachuk and David Rittich have on this team. Rittich was sensational again, stopping 37 shots en route to the victory, but it was the timing of his saves that made the difference. A few breakaways and follow up chances were completely neutralized by Rittich, giving the Flames a fighting chance.
Tkachuk, as always, was integrated into the fabric of the game, and yet again he found a way to will the team to a victory. It wasn’t his best game of the season, but a three-point night puts him in the team lead for points and just a goal shy of Elias Lindholm‘s team-leading 10 goals.
Of course the two points in the standings are all that matters in the end, but really the Flames need to look themselves in the mirror and figure out what team they want to be. When they turned on the jets in the third period, they were sensational. Other than that, they were just dreadful. It’s been 18 games and they still have yet to string together consecutive 60-minute efforts. That needs to change fast.
The Gaud, the Bad, and the BeautifuL
Good: Tkachuk was brilliant, but a huge kudos to Gaudreau for getting the monkey off his back. 12 games was far too long, and I bet we won’t see a length of time like that in the near future.
Bad: Another five minor penalties last night for the most penalized team in the NHL. The penalty kill has been great, but being down a player that often is not making winning hockey games any easier.
Beautiful: Rittich is playing a lot, but he’s playing well and earning his team victories. Easily the team’s most valuable player right now.
Next Game
Opponent: New Jersey Devils
Record: 4-5-4
Standings: 7th in the Metropolitan
Season Series: 0-0-0
Photo by: Gerry Thomas/NHLI via Getty Images
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