5 THINGS - FLAMES @ SENATORS

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Leading Scorers:
Flames:
Points - Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm (18)
Goals - Gaudreau (9)
Senators:
Points - Brady Tkachuk (15)
Goals - Tkachuk (8)
Special Teams:
Flames:
PP - 21.1% (15th) / PK - 80.6% (13th)
Senators:
PP - 13.0% (27th) / PK - 75.4% (24th)
Advanced Stats:
Flames:
Shot Attempts: 50.86% (10th)
High-Danger Chances: 50.57% (14th)
Senators:
Shot Attempts: 50.35% (12th)
High-Danger Chances: 49.74% (19th)

1. LAST TIME OUT

It was one of those nights where the scoreboard said it all.
There was no sense in dressing it up any further.
"We weren't good enough - and it's not one or two guys, it's everyone," said Rasmus Andersson, bluntly appraising a 6-1 setback. "Everyone needs to be better, and it starts with having too many turnovers.
"We're not clean when we break out. The puck is bouncing a little bit and it ends up in our net. It's tough, it's tough mentally.
"I feel like once we get through the neutral zone and we get to the blueline and the top of the circle, we turn the puck over and it's a 3-on-2 back, and that's happening quite a bit. ... We've been better at getting shots through, but we need more of a presence to create a little chaos in there. We have it in some areas, and in some areas it's not there. But I think we're not clean enough off the rush, honestly.
"I don't know. It was very frustrating out there."
The Flames, who earned three of a possible four points in Toronto earlier this week, were certainly in tough. It was their fifth game in seven nights - with travel - and were facing a rested Ottawa squad that had clearly taken a step recently.
Still, there are no excuses. Whether or not fatigue played a role in Thursday's defeat, Andersson said everyone needed to "look in the mirror" and figure out why the game played out the way it did.
David Rittich - who got the start for the third straight game after stopping 71 of the 73 shots he faced over two games against the Maple Leafs - left after allowing four goals on 20 shots.
Twenty-five-year-old Artyom Zagidulin tagged in for the back half of the contest, thwarting nine of the 11 pucks he faced in his first taste of NHL action.
Milan Lucic had Calgary's only goal, while Drake Batherson, Erik Gudbranson, Connor Brown, Erik Brannstrom and Colin White (x2) struck for the home team.

2. GETTIN' GREASY

This talented Flames lineup has hit a bit of a dry spell, with back-to-back one-goal outings, and five overall in the past nine days.
Yes, turnovers have been issue, as Andersson alluded to in Thursday's post-game speech. The Flames can be an explosive group off the rush, but feeding the opponent's transition with giveaways at the far blue has muzzled the offence and led to some dangerous chances against.
But more can, and will, be done to address this on Saturday, and it starts on the breakout.
"Both bluelines are important in the game," explained Chris Tanev. "We've had turnovers at both lines and it obviously hurt us last night, so we've got to support the puck better.
"It's about wanting to help your teammate and getting in a position where he can get you the puck and we can make the next play."
The other half of the equation happens inside the zone.
The Flames pride themselves on being a strong forechecking team that cycles well and attacks the paint with purpose.
However, with many of their shots coming from the outside on Thursday, captain Mark Giordano says a different approach is needed to get back to that.
"You can't always hit the net," the skipper said. "That's the misconception that people think, that every time you get it up top, you're going to hit the net and get a chance. Our forwards have to work to get to the net, but we as defencemen have to do a better job of shooting for sticks, for tips, and shooting off the end wall, maybe - just getting down there around the net.
"That's when a lot of stuff happens.
"We've got to get ugly here and start putting everything to the net, getting bodies to the net. Like you said, we had some shifts where we sustained some pressure for a good chunk of time, but at some point, you've got to get bodies inside.
"They have five guys packed in the middle, and we've got to find a way to get inside them."

3. DON'T DWELL

Following a loss like Thursday, it would be easy to flounder and forget about the progress that was made earlier this week.
But you can't.
Just like the highs can't be too high, your lows can't be too low, either.
"The one thing we need to do as a team is pay attention to the results," said Head Coach Geoff Ward. "You're going to play some nights really well and you're not going to get the result you want, but if you're playing well and your process is good and everything else, that's something else.
"How you would react to a game like (Thursday) is how you would react to a game where you're not very good, you're not playing up to your standards.
"You have to know exactly where you're at and as a team, you have to react in the proper way to it. Those are really critical aspects for us. Part of that is remembering the things that you do well. It gives you something to springboard forward on - understanding, also, where you need to be better. That's the important part about getting ready to play the next game."

4. PLAYERS TO WATCH

Flames - Andrew Mangiapane
Here's a stat: Seventeen of Mangiapane's 32 career tucks have come in the month of February. He has one more game to add to that total before the calendar flips to March.
On Thursday, No. 88 was one of Calgary's better forwards, controlling more than 70% of the shot attempts in 18:58 of ice time.
Senators - Drake Batherson
Batherson extended his goal streak to four games with the opening tally on Thursday and is now second in team scoring with six on the year, two back of Brady Tkachuk.
The 22-year-old, who lit up the American League over the past two seasons but had modest numbers over a short cup of coffee at the NHL level, is officially breaking out.
The former Canadian World Junior star has 13 points in 22 games this year.

5. QUOTABLE

"If you look at all good teams, they expect to win every game. If they win a game, it's not like they win the Stanley Cup or a big playoff game. We beat Toronto and we did follow it up the next day and played a pretty good game, but I think - as you said, the highs and lows - you beat a really good team in Toronto, you get too high, and you lose and then you're right back at the bottom. It's something we have to learn to deal with as a group and get better at."
- Chris Tanev on managing emotional swings from game to game