The momentum the Calgary Flames built in the late stages of all three games of their eastern roadie was undeniable.
In every case it seemed inevitable they’d battle back to find the equalizer, which they did.
Stealing points in all three outings in which they faced early deficits speaks to the team’s continued belief it can bounce back against anyone, no matter how deep the hole.
It’s a real feather in the cap of a team that leads the league with three third-period comeback wins.
But the message on the flight home following Saturday’s 3-2 shootout loss in Buffalo has to revolve around the Flames’ penchant for digging holes.
“Obviously the other team, I think, is a little more prepared to come and play,” a frank Ryan Lomberg told Sportsnet’s Ryan Leslie during the first intermission of a game they trailed 2-0.
“We’re a hell of a team when we play to win, and play desperate, and unfortunately right now it’s in the latter half of the game, which is fine because it’s there. We have it in us. It’s just about finding a way to do up the full 60.
“I feel like we keep saying that over and over and again and it keeps kind of biting us in the butt. We have to find a way to correct it.”
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Indeed they do, as repeated overtime and shootout games will ultimately work against a Flames club that can’t match the skill of most teams in the league.
On this trip they managed to scrape together four of a possible six points in games that all required extra time, which is a winning excursion by any standard.
Full marks once again for the group’s ability to claw back into a game Saturday it trailed a mere 71 seconds in when Zach Benson pumped in a rebound Dan Vladar had little chance on.
Ditto for Tage Thompson’s one-timer on the power play from Alex Ovechkin’s office 13 minutes into a lopsided period.
It wasn’t until late in the second period the Flames inched back into the game with Matt Coronato’s third of the road trip, setting up a Mikael Backlund roof job from a sharp angle to tie it with four minutes left.
It marked the 22nd time the Flames had scored in the third period, compared to eight in the first and 10 in the second.
An issue they’ll try to address Monday when they host Los Angeles.
Extra-time stumbles
The Flames will be the first to admit they squandered a golden opportunity Saturday when they were unable to cash in on an 80-second man advantage to end overtime.
Their best opportunity was squandered when Yegor Sharangovich fanned on a golden one-timer from the dot.
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The Flames’ 22nd-ranked power play let them down again, setting the stage for a shootout in which Sharangovich, Andrei Kuzmenko and Justin Kirkland were all stopped easily by Ukko-Pekka Luukonen.
Although Thompson hit the post and Vladar made a great glove save on Alex Tuch, a JJ Peterka finish through the netminder’s five-hole was what gave the Sabres the extra point.
Oh Canada
With just over three weeks to go until teams have to announce their full rosters for the 4 Nations Face-Off, MacKenzie Weegar put in another solid showing for Team Canada executive lead Doug Armstrong on Saturday.
Joined by GM Don Sweeney, who also saw Weegar in Boston two nights earlier, Armstrong watched Weegar set up both Flames goals with notable plays.
The first got the Flames back in the game in the second when his heads-up snap pass from the point to Coronato at the side of the net was a thing of beauty, freezing the Sabres netminder to allow an easy redirect.
He then did what he does so well – get shots on net through traffic – to set up Backlund’s late, game-tying finish.
Several impressive backchecks and three solid hits also demonstrated just how complete his game is, all while doing it from his off side.
In just over 25 minutes of ice time he did a little bit of everything, finishing plus-2, taking five shot attempts, and blocking two shots while leading all Flames with 32 shifts.
It’s that versatility, and his breakthrough participation at the world championship in 2023 when he led all defencemen in the tourney in points, that gives him a fighting chance to beat out a talented list of options Canada has.
The Lines
Zary-Kadri-Sharangovich
Huberdeau-Pospisil-Kuzmenko
Coleman-Backlund-Coronato
Lomberg-Rooney-Kirkland
Bahl-Andersson
Weegar-Miromanov
Bean-Pachal
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