It hasn’t been the nicest turn of the year for the Calgary Flames.
The Flames had the luxury of finishing 2013 and starting 2014 with a five-game homestand, and opened it with an early Christmas present to their fans: a come-from-behind shootout win against the formidable St. Louis Blues that saw the Flames tie the game with less than five seconds left in regulation.
Since then, not much else has been going Calgary’s way.
Friday night’s 2-0 loss to Tampa Bay dropped them to a 1-4 finish on that homestand, and marked the third time in the last four games that they’ve been shut out. They managed only one goal in a 4-1 loss to the Flyers after being shut out in consecutive games by the Oilers and Canucks. It was the first time Calgary’s been shut out in consecutive home games since November 2003.
Over that unfortunate span, the Flames have shown some sloppiness. They’ve been outworked, outskated and left chasing in their own zone on several occasions, while giveaways have been costly at a few points. Poor spacing and pinching and mishandled pucks at the offensive blueline have led to numerous odd-man rushes and breakaways – both full and partial. (To be fair, a few tricky bounces and excellent breakouts by opposing teams have also played a part.) Meanwhile, Calgary’s powerplay, which has struggled this season, has been non-existent in their recent struggles: the Flames haven’t just gone 0-for-10 during this slump; they’ve mustered only 10 powerplay shots, including four shots on five man-advantages against the Lightning.
And yet, it hasn’t been all bad. Despite the atrocious results of their past few contests, there have been bright spots in the Flames’ play.
The penalty kill, quite effective for most of December, has continued to execute well. It’s allowed just one goal on 11 opportunities during the losing streak, and limited the opposition to a total of 15 shots in that span.
And in their desperate search for offensive production, the Flames have shown plenty of creativity, trying more uncommon and unexpected plays and passes. It’s made for exciting, if not disappointing games, and offered fans – and in the case of some players, prospective trade partners – a look at the full array of skills and hockey smarts in this rebuilding roster.
Of course, the best and most obvious diamond in this rough has been Calgary’s goaltending. Between them, Reto Berra and Karri Ramo have allowed a total of eight goals on 105 shots over the past four games (.923 save percentage). Not bad, considering this is Berra’s first stint in the league and Ramo had just 48 games of NHL experience over three seasons coming into this one. During this losing streak, they’ve made several exceptional saves and kept their team in the game, much like their predecessor did for the majority of his career.
The Flames are back in action on Monday in Colorado. It’s the first of 10 games in 14 nights. It’s a string that also includes clashes with the Blues, Penguins, Canucks and Sharks. Not exactly what you’d call an easy stretch. If the Flames hope to survive it, they’ll need to find ways to building on the positives and minimize the negatives.
Most importantly, they need to find the back of the net.
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