Flames Game Recaps

Flames Visual Recap 48: Calgary misses the mark in a must-win game against Montreal

The Calgary Flames faced off against the Montreal Canadiens for the final time this season. After taking the first two games in the three-game series, it seemed like the Flames were taking matters into their own hands and making a serious push for the slim shot at the playoffs. However, a 2-1 loss was served to the Flames by the end of it all, and it may just be the final nail in the coffin for Calgary’s postseason hopes.

The two teams traded power play goals to in the first period, with Montreal scoring first courtesy of Shea Weber, and Calgary answering with Elias Lindholm. While the Canadiens had a better start to the period, the Flames ended it on a better note.

They carried their momentum into the second period and was significantly stronger at even strength than Montreal. Towards the end of the period, Jacob Markstrom made a stellar save on Tyler Toffoli‘s initial shot just to have the loose puck land on Joel Armia‘s stick who passed it right back to Toffoli for a second chance goal. With the Flames down a goal heading into the third, the pressure on their entire season peaked to a new high.

Tried as they did, the Flames were unable to score the equaliser, and the game ended with Montreal snatching up the win. The season series ends with Calgary winning six times to Montreal’s three, but those three wins for the Canadiens might just be the difference maker if the Flames end up missing the playoffs.

The game visualisations are below.

Game events

All situations corsi

Check out our tutorial on how to plot an NHL rink using R with the full code and customisation options included!

5v5 corsi

Shifts

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