One, as they say, is the loneliest number.
With just one regulation win on the road this season, the Calgary Flames have got to be feeling awfully lonely, frustrated and desperate away from the Dome these days.
A trip to Dallas Sunday did little to boost morale, as the Flames managed to let a 2-2 tie after two periods turn into a 6-2 drubbing.
For those keeping track at home, that’s eight straight road losses, dating back over a month. That’s not even the scariest streak they’ve got going.
The team’s pop-gun offence failed to come through once again, extending its string of games scoring three goals or less to 25. It’s the NHL’s fifth-longest streak in the modern era (since 1967-68).
Still, this loss had more to do with the series of defensive lapses this team has generally done well to limit this season.
“We were doing some things the right way but then it just got away from us in the third period,” said Ryan Huska, whose club allowed four goals in a 14-minute stretch of the final frame. “We had stretches where I liked what we were doing, had some good zone time, and had some decent looks around their net, but it’s how we were away from the puck, with the odd man rushes against.
“That, to me, is the difference between winning and losing and that’s where we are struggling a bit on the road. I think there were seven or eight odd-man rushes against, two-on-ones, and those are quality chances you can’t give up, especially on the road.”
After Jonathan Huberdeau opened the scoring one minute in, the Stars responded by capitalizing on a Nazem Kadri turnover at the Flames blue line. Jason Robertson put the Stars up 2-1 when he got behind the Flames as he exited the penalty box and raced in to beat Dustin Wolf.
A Roope Hintz goal five minutes into the third came on a 2-on-1 in which Jakob Pelletier wasn’t able to cover for the pinching Rasmus Andersson. Andersson and partner Kevin Bahl had an abnormally bad night, as the team’s top shut-down pairing finished a combined minus-9.
Sam Steel put the hosts up 4-2 on a poor clearing pass by Wolf that caught the netminder out of position.
“We’ve got to figure out how to win on the road here,” said Zary, whose team’s 3-7-4 road mark included just one regulation win on the road, an Oct 13 win in Edmonton.
“We’ve got to figure out something on the road,” added Huberdeau. “I thought we were good up until the third. We fell asleep for five or seven minutes and they took advantage.
“We can’t get frustrated. (Tuesday in Nashville) is our last road game before Christmas and this is the one we need to focus on.”
After Nashville, the Flames have a five-game homestand heading into the holidays.
Flames GM Craig Conroy revealed during a first-period intermission chat with Sportsnet’s Ryan Leslie that the team’s 30th-ranked penalty killers got an earful from the coach following the team’s 4-3 loss against St. Louis.
“The next day, the meeting Ryan really challenged the guys and I could hear it through the wall,” said Conroy, proud of his team for killing all three first-period penalties Sunday. “And they’ve responded. “It was a hard meeting, he got his point across and they’re doing exactly what he wants – he wants them to out-compete them.
“The only thing I’d like to see is us winning more faceoffs. But other than that, the compete, getting in lanes, blocking shots, that’s exactly what he wanted in that meeting.”
The Flames killed all four shorthanded situations they faced.
The power play, which has moved to middle of the pack in the NHL after scoring 10 times in their last ten games, went 0-for-3 and allowed a Wyatt Johnston shorthanded goal in the first.
Ryan Lomberg did not make the trip as his family is expecting their third child, opening the door for Andrei Kuzmenko to exit the doghouse and return to the lineup.
Kuzmenko, who is stuck at one goal for the season, started on the fourth line, but eventually swapped places with Walker Duehr on the third line.
“The two lines I didn’t think were great tonight so it was just an opportunity to flip things around,” explained Huska.
Here’s how the lines finished the night.
Sharangovich – Backlund – Coronato
Huberdeau – Kadri – Pospisil
Coleman – Zary – Kuzmenko
Pelletier – Rooney – Duehr
