The Calgary Flames pushed to the brink of elimination Tuesday night with a 5-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4. The Flames dug a 3-0 hole in the first period, came out from this hole and then. could not hold the tie.
Here are five conclusions from game 4.
Goalkeeper glasses have been canceled
The most outstanding rollers and people prone to laughter will obviously point to the goalkeeper’s glasses that ended this game. In the first half, Jacob Markstrom blew a pass that went straight to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for an easy goal. Similarly, an explosion of Rasmus Andersson from the blue line of the Flames ended up tying the game, with Mike Smith with a body language that almost shouted “Wait, what?” and after the match he admitted that he completely lost the record. Wow.
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But apart from the two whoopsie goals, one each, both Markstrom and Smith were very, very good in this game.
The actual Flames appeared, for the most part
Game 1 was a track encounter. Game 2 featured wild changes. Game 3 featured some really ugly breakdowns by the Flames. Game 4 could be the only game in this series where we could say that the Flames team we were expecting to see, the team we saw for most of the Dallas series, was up front and center. They were not exempt from their fouls – the Oilers’ second, third and fourth goals were the result of the Flames’ breakdowns as well as the Oilers’ good plays – but the Flames played their style of play for the first time in this series. .
It wasn’t enough, but it gave them a chance to fight.
Small mistakes had big impacts
These were the four goals against the Flames in game 4:
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- The discus throws Markstrom in his attempt to pass from behind the net, passing directly to Nugent-Hopkins for an easy.
- Tyler Toffoli takes a swing and hits it … In the Oilers’ power play, the Flames give Leon Draisaitl too much time to make a pass to Connor McDavid, and the rebound is buried by Zach Hyman (who had a position on Chris Tanev).
- The attempt to clean Jarnkrok Street is intercepted on the wall. Evander Kane’s shot is deflected off target.
- The Flames lose a couple of low-disc battles in the dump, so Oliver Kylington can’t fit Nugent-Hopkins in front of the net for the rebound.
On the face of it, none of these were serious and ugly mistakes (other than Markstrom’s). But man, these little lost battles or momentary lapses really came together in a closed game.
I don’t know how to feel about Chris Tanev
I have two ideas about Tanev playing game 4.
On the one hand, he is an adult ass and a warrior, who seems completely willing to play with the pain of very serious injuries. He’s a smart guy, and he’s certainly done that kind of thing before, and if he’s fully informed about the risks and the plays anyway, it’s up to him. (And I guess the medical staff accepting the decision to play.)
But man, Tanev’s life seemed to be going badly for Game 4. His spirit was ready, but his body was obviously not 100%. It’s probably a Brett Ritchie improvement at the moment, and the Flames with 11 forwards and seven blues makes sense considering how well it worked against Dallas, but I’m anxious to think about the agony Tanev suffered before, during and after of the party.
Not tomorrow
The “real” Flames have appeared in one of the four games they have played against the Oilers so far. The Flames have won one of four games in this series, which feels a bit deserving considering how well they have played overall. They will have to play their best game of the season on Thursday night if they have any hope of extending the season a couple more days.
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