Tough Loss To Ottawa

For the second game in a row, it went to OT.

And for the second game in a row, the Flames had to settle for one point.

It was a controversial finish though Thursday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome, Sens captain Brady Tkachuk scoring 55 seconds into OT off a 2-on-1 rush rebound goal as Ottawa prevailed 3-2.

But prior to that, Jonathan Huberdeau wasn't able to convert a pass from Nazem Kadri on a 2-on-1 at the other end, the Flames forward high-sticked by Tkachuk before crashing into the boards and Ottawa heading back the other way.

Huberdeau scored in regulation for the Flames, as did Blake Coleman. Dan Vladar made 26 saves, while Linus Ullmark had 29 stops for the visitors.

There wasn’t a lot of chances for the first five minutes of the game but then the Flames started pressing.

The line of Huberdeau, Kadri and Martin Pospisil continued to buzz as they have of late, Pospisil making a great play to keep the puck in the zone by the blueline leading to a great shot by Kadri that was stopped.

Yegor Sharangovich slipped into the slot for a wide-open shot with a bouncing puck that Ullmark denied.

After lengthy pressure-filled shift by the Flames, Coleman would open the scoring at 12:14, sweeping a rebound into a wide-open net after Kevin Bahl had fired a puck into a crowd in front of Ullmark, Coronato getting the other helper.

Sharangovich was denied again in the slot off a feed from Jakob Pelletier and then later Pelletier took a no-look backhand pass from Connor Zary but Ullmark got his pad out to deny him.

With winding down in the first, Jake Sanderson’s point blast went off Brayden Pachal and right onto the stick of Nick Cousins who fired it into the net with 59.7 seconds left to play.

Vladar made six saves in the period, including using his head on a great look from Tim Stutzle who had skated in and fired one around Rasmus Andersson.

The Flames 'tender was tested early in the second when he denied Tkachuk on a partial breakaway attempt less than three minutes in.

Calgary killed off the first powerplay of the game and then Vladar made a pair of big stops on Ridly Greig to keep it deadlocked at one.

At the other end of the ice, Ullmark stopped a partial breakaway from Pelletier, denying his backhand attempt as the Flames forward ended up crashing into him.

Pachal laid a bit hit on Nick Cousins not long after, leading to a quick fight that Pachal got the better of.

Mikael Backlund was given a four-minute double high sticking penalty at 11:51 when he tried to lift Tkachuk’s stick but whacked him the face drawing blood.

The Flames allowed just two shots to the Sens, who came into the night with the NHL’s seventh-ranked powerplay.

Calgary was blanked on their lone powerplay late in the frame.

Pospisil was punched in the face by Shane Pinto off a faceoff at the end of the second but there was no call.

Sharangovich wired a shot 17 seconds into the third but Ullmark flashed the leather, then it was Pospisil lifting a puck in the crease up and past Ullmark but it went off the cross bar.

Ottawa went up 2-1 after a turnover on a Flames powerplay, Vladar stopping Greig’s first shot but the Sens forward then potting his own rebound at 6:24.

But just 52 seconds later Calgary evened it up still on the man up, Coronato putting a cross-crease pass off the skate of Huberdeau. The goal was reviewed but it stood.

The Chase:

Episode 6 drops Friday at 6 p.m. MT. Check out the trailer below.

The Lineup:

Forwards

Jonathan Huberdeau - Nazem Kadri - Martin Pospisil

Blake Coleman - Mikael Backlund - Matt Coronato

Yegor Sharangovich - Connor Zary - Jakob Pelletier

Ryan Lomberg - Kevin Rooney - Walker Duehr

DEFENCE

Kevin Bahl - Rasmus Andersson

Joel Hanley - MacKenzie Weegar

Jake Bean - Brayden Pachal

GOALTENDER

Dan Vladar - starter

Dustin Wolf

They Said It:

The Numbers Game:

Shots: CGY 31, OTT 29

Powerplay: CGY 1-2, OTT 0-3

Faceoffs: CGY 45.9%, OTT 54.1%

Blocked Shots: CGY 9, OTT 22

Hits: CGY 30, OTT 27

*5-on-5 Scoring Chances: CGY 30, OTT 15

*5-on-5 High-Danger Scoring Chances: CGY 10, OTT 10

*Courtesy of NaturalStatTrick

Up Next:

The Flames finish off this five-game homestand with their final game before Christmas when they host the Blackhawks in a matinee tilt on Saturday at 2 p.m. CLICK FOR TICKETS