Calgary Flames 0 - Dallas Stars 2

Complete Stats

Recap

There’s not much to say about this one. Dallas completely shut the Flames down, took them out of their game and forced Calgary to play a slow and grinding style that isn’t their game. Now, if you listened to our podcast we talked about this game and it being a potential bad matchup for the Flames and it was. Dallas plays a much more physical style game than Calgary and while they only had seven more hits than the Flames tonight, they were just all over the puck and in turn, the Flames.

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

David Rittich did his best to keep Calgary in this game and early on the Flames needed him. Dallas had 26 shots through the first two periods and even though he gave up two goals, David Rittich was all the Flames had going for them. The Stars peppered the Czech goaltender and Calgary had no answer at the other end. Ben Bishop wasn’t tested early, but he wasn’t in the giving mood either. He would finish the night stopping all 24 Flames shots, including 12 in the third period alone.

The Flames looked tired tonight (the ice looked terrible) and it took them 40 minutes to get warmed up. Their first two periods were slow and dragged down by a lack of shots (12) and zero offence. When the Flames had chances, they passed instead of shooting. Twelve shots through two periods isn’t going to get it done against anyone. And speaking of shots, what a great job Dallas did with Calgary’s top line. Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm combined for five total SOG in the contest. When you hold that group to that few scoring chances the odds are certainly in your favor.

Scoring

Calgary Flames

1st: None

2nd: None

3rd: None

Dallas Stars

1st: 12:15- Benn (14) (Seguin/Radulov)

2nd: 17:17- Faksa (6) (Hanzal/Pitlick)

3rd: None

Final Thoughts

Dallas just out-did the Flames in every aspect of this game. When Calgary had five players on the ice, it looked like the Stars had ten. The opposition had sticks in the lane when the needed them, they won 57% of their face offs and even though they had 23 giveaways to Calgary’s 7, they were just the better team all night long.

You aren’t going to win them all and when you play like the Flames did tonight you aren’t winning any. Calgary surely didn’t look like the Pacific leading team they are tonight, but that will happen from time to time. Without David Rittich, this game is an absolute blowout.

The Flames three game winning streak is done and Dallas is off a four game losing skid after the 2-0 victory. Calgary’s struggles in Dallas continued as they now have dropped three in a row in Dallas and five in a row overall against the Stars.

Flame Of The Game

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

David Rittich (G). This was no contest. Rittich was lights out tonight, stopping 26 of 28 and you could argue none of the goals against were his fault. The first was off of Jamie Benn’s skate and the other was a defensive breakdown where no one picked up Radek Faska. Calgary would be nuts to not go back to Rittich against Tampa.

What’s Next?

12/20: Calgary Flames vs Tampa Bay Lightning, 7 PM MT