Calgary Flames Battle Hard to Down Blues in OT

Matthew Tkachuk made his return to the lineup for the Flames as they took on the Blues tonight. Tkachuk had been suspended for two games after Sunday’s win over LA. During his suspension the Flames went 0-2 and were missing the noticeable edge he brings.

Brian Elliott got the start for the Flames as he returned to St. Louis for the second time since being traded at the draft last summer.

Calgary entered the game one point ahead of the Blues in the standings, and tonight’s game was crucial in case the Blues fell down to battle the Flames for a wild-card spot.

1st Period

The first period would start off with both teams getting some really good scoring opportunities but former teammates Jake Allen and Elliott kept the game scoreless.

Michael Stone would be called for tripping to give the Blues the first powerplay of the game but Elliott would stay strong making a couple of really good saves. Coupled with some strong shot-blocking by the skaters, the Flames would get the kill.

Following a scrum in front of the Flames net, Calgary would be given their first powerplay of the game. Calgary would aim to improve their powerplay after an 0/5 game against Nashville.

And they would! Troy Brouwer would be fed the puck on the right side of the slot and put a perfect shot in the top right corner to give Calgary a 1-0 lead. The goal was Brouwer’s 12th of the season. Johnny Gaudreau and Kris Versteeg got assists on the goal.

The opening period would close with Calgary ahead 1-0 despite being outshot 13-9 by the Blues.

2nd Period

After a stretch of four-on-four Troy Brouwer would be gifted with a wide open net on a rebound but miss completely.

The Blues would come back the other way and Elliott would be put out of position and Ivan Barbashev would tie the game on his own rebound.

The rest of the period would feature a few high quality chances for both sides but again the goalies were up to the task.

The second period ends with the game tied 1-1 and shots 19 apiece.

3rd Period

The Blues would take the lead after pressing hard for most of the period when a Kyle Brodziak rebound deflected off of Jaden Schwartz’ leg and past Elliott. After a brief review, the goal call was upheld and it was 2-1 St. Louis.

The Flames would bounce right back with a deflection of their own as Matt Bartkowski would get his first goal as a Flame! It would be a wild sequence where Deryk Engelland was hooked down after being set up for the one-timer, but Bartkowski would follow up and push the puck in front where it eventually bounced off Jay Bouwmeester (lol) and in.

The rest of the period would be tough, grinding, playoff style hockey. Calgary would get a late powerplay but be unable to score and we’d head to overtime tied 2-2. Final regulation shots finish 30-25 for the Blues.

Overtime

The majority of the overtime period would be completely dominated by the Flames as they held the Blues in their own zone. The Flames controlled possession of the puck, and whenever the Blues had it, the defense quickly shut them down.

Then late in overtime, just as it looked like the shootout/coin toss was looming, the Flames won the game!

Sean Monahan would pick up the puck in the corner with only seconds left and try to thread a back door pass, but the puck would hit off a Blue and in! With the goal Monahan has 25 on the year!

The Good

The Bad

The Ugly

Calgary gets back in the win column after a mini two-game losing streak. The record moves up to 42-29-4 and the magic number drops to four, and could be three by the end of the night depending on how the LA/NYR game goes.

Calgary is also now tied for the most wins in the Pacific Divsion! The Flames are next in action when they welcome the league-worst Colorado Avalanche to town on Monday. Until then, Go Flames Go!

by Michael MacGillivray