Recap: Calgary Flames (2) @ Detroit Red Wings (8): Calgary Beaten and Beat Up By Detroit

Calgary Flames 2 Detroit Red Wings 8

The Flames hit the road for a 6 game road trip with a stop in Detroit to take on the Red Wings. It didn’t go well. At all. The Flames turned the puck over, couldn’t get a save when they needed one, the PK failed miserably and got dragged into a brawl where they got beat up. On to Philadelphia.

1st Period: Calgary Flames 1 Detroit Red Wings 4

The Flames offence came out and pushed the pace of play for a good chunk of the period, but found themselves down by 3 goals when all was said and done. Detroit would get goals from Andreas Athanasiou, Gustav Nyquis, Anthony Mantha and a Dylan Larkin in a period that seemed like it was going to belong to the Flames. Calgary’s lone goal would come after some hard work out front after a Johnny Gaudreau shot. Micheal Ferland would dig and dig and barely get the puck past Jimmy Howard, getting his 5th goal in five games. The Flames PK unit would kill one of the two penalties they were handed in the period, which is a step in the right direction for that beleaguered unit. It was not a good period for T.J. Brodie as TWICE would try to make snow angels, both leading to Red Wings goals (one he tipped in). The Flames had 11 shots in the period…..Johnny Gaudreau had 3 of those.

2nd Period: Calgary Flames 2 Detroit Red Wings 6

Well, Eddie Lack lasted 4:27 seconds into the period before giving up his 5th of the night and getting the hook. Jon Gillies came in and gave up 1 goal in the period. Calgary would finally get one back when Johnny Gaudreau would continue his hot streak by getting his 8th of the season from Micheal Ferland as the Flames top line continues to produce. Calgary would once again out shoot the Red Wings in the period, but they couldn’t hit the net or solve Jimmy Howard.

3rd Period: Calgary Flames 2 Detroit Red Wings 8

The third period was another case of the Flames not capitalizing on their shots. But forget the missed opportunities. The 3rd period of this game will be remembered for some disgraceful hockey. Luke Witkowski would grab Brett Kulak and hammer him for a less than aggressive body check in the Red Wings end. Then all hell broke loose. Kulak would unwillingly get his head beat in, Travis Hamonic would get his in the runway, the benches would almost clear and when the dust settled, somehow the Flames would collect slightly more time in the box that Detroit, who started that whole mess. Once the officials sorted out the penalties the Flames would find themselves a man down and TAKE ANOTHER PENALTY. Unreal. Detroit would make the Flames pay when Andreas Athanasiou would get his second of the night, beating Jon Gillies on a 5 on 3. The Red Wings would get their 8th of the night when Mark Giordano would have a puck go off his skate right to Luke Glendening who would score his 4th of the season.

Final Thoughts

This was an absolute disgraceful display of hockey on all fronts. Eddie Lack wasn’t at fault for everything, but he also didn’t make any saves when the Flames needed something. T.J. Brodie had a horrible night on defence, his play leading directly to 2 Detroit goals. The disgusting 3rd period punctuated what was a downright terrible performance by the Flames. Yes, Detroit started it all, but the Flames responded and got theirs for defending themselves. The bright spots? Johnny Gaudreau and Micheal Ferland. Gaudreau had a 2 point night and Micheal Ferland scored a goal in his 5th straight game. Burn the video and head to Philly. That’s the only thing the Flames can do. This was an abomination in terms of hockey. The Flames have some serious soul searching to do on the plane and now the question becomes: who starts on Saturday?

Flame Of The Game

Johnny Gaudreau (F). Gaudreau continued his hot play with a goal and an assist. Johnny Hockey had a team high 4 SOG and was one of the few Flames players that had any sort of affect on the game.

What’s Next?

Calgary Flames @ Philadelphia Flyers 11/18/17 11 AM MT

by Mark Parkinson