After the Calgary Flames’ 4–2 loss versus the Edmonton Oilers, the major storyline was Martin Pospisil’s costly penalty in the third period, which led to the Oilers scoring the game-winning goal on the power play.
This is now the second time that Pospisil took a costly penalty that led to a negative outcome for the Flames. In a season where there is really no pressure for the team, it still doesn’t mean that mistakes aren’t going to be unnoticed.
It seems like this year, the Flames’ coaching staff are becoming quite strict on consistency and the types of mistakes players make. Multiple players have already been experiencing decreases in ice time and consequences for certain actions, and Martin Pospisil is now the latest player who can now be added to this list.
The Flames were not impressed by Pospisil’s recklessness
During his postgame interview against the Oilers, Flames head coach Ryan Huska wasted no time calling out Pospisil for his unwise penalty.
“It’s not okay. He’s the type of player who has to play with an edge, but it’s not the reckless style he has to play because points are so valuable. It’s so hard to win in this league that if you overstep your boundaries a little bit, it costs the team. There are different ways you can do that. A lot of that is on the player. That’s twice now, so it’s not okay.”
As mentioned, this isn’t the first time the Flames have held Pospisil accountable for something like this. Pospisil was also benched during their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins after he took a couple of penalties.
Despite it being a rebuild, the margin of error is quite thin. If the Flames believe that a player is playing poorly, they will let them know. As for Pospisil, it seems like he’s held himself accountable for his actions and is looking forward to getting his play back on track:
“Every game I try to be careful. This is kind of bad luck, but I think I’m getting better. Hopefully it won’t happen again.”
Pospisil has been an interesting player to watch so far this season. His transition to centre has been an up-and-down experience so far. Some fans believe the pressure of being a center has contributed to his recent poor play, which is definitely understandable.
The Flames yet again do some line adjustments
During the Flames matchup against the Montreal Canadiens, the biggest change was Pospisil’s deployment on the fourth line alongside Ryan Lomberg and Justin Kirkland. It wasn’t until Anthony Mantha was injured that the resulting line shuffles saw Pospisil back in an elevated role.
Even if his demotion was circumstantially cut short, the direct messaging to Pospisil should have been heard loud and clear.
It just comes to show that no matter your status on this team, every player is subjected to the same treatment. If you play well, you’re rewarded for it, and if you play poorly, you’ll experience the consequences. This is the aspect the Flames really want to emphasize. Just because it’s a rebuild doesn’t mean that a lack of effort and reckless mistakes are going to be willingly accepted.
Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire
