Canes Fall Apart Late, Lose In Calgary

CALGARY, AB. - For a second consecutive night the Carolina Hurricanes suffered a disappointing defeat, falling 3-2 to the Calgary Flames on Thursday.

Svechnikov Sidelined Again...

The night started on a sour note for the Canes, as just before puck drop the team's public relations department announced that Andrei Svechnikov would not play due to an upper-body injury. He took warmups, but so did Brendan Lemieux, who was forced into the lineup due to his absence.

Rod Brind'Amour did indicate at his pre-game media availability that one player was a game-time decision, so the news was not a complete surprise, but losing a player of #37's caliber is obviously still impactful.

It's the second time in as many weeks that Carolina missed Svechnikov's services, as he did not play last Tuesday in Philadelphia because he was under the weather.

Just like that contest, Michael Bunting jumped up into the "top six", skating alongside Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Seth Jarvis, while Lemieux joined forces with Jack Drury and Stefan Noesen.

Just What The Doctor Ordered...

After last night's thrashing at the hands of Edmonton, where the Oilers scored twice in the first minute, it was integral that Carolina responded by being ready to go this evening.

As it turns out, they were.

Just 2:10 in, and three seconds into the newly-formed fourth line's first shift of the evening, Noesen tipped home a Jaccob Slavin shot from the point.

One of two examples in the first half of the opening period where net-front presence would pay dividends, the second came a little over five minutes later when Bunting tipped home a Dmitry Orlov drive.

All signs early were good for Carolina.

Kochetkov Strong In The First 40...

With a 2-0 lead, the Canes looked much more like themselves than they did just 24 hours prior.

Playing smart and structured hockey, Calgary still got their chances during the second period, but Pyotr Kochetkov was up to the task.

Starting for a second consecutive night after he was pulled just 5:46 into last night's blowout, the 24-year-old looked composed throughout, coming up with the timely saves when needed.

Stopping all 16 shots sent his way through the first two periods, Carolina remained in a good spot going to the finish.

Disastrous Finish...

Despite Kochetkov holding the Flames off the board through the first pair of periods, it was evident that the home team was getting better as the game went on.

Carolina needed to stay on the gas to start the third, and while they may have, their efforts were not enough to keep Calgary off the board.  In fact, within the next 6:02, the game was completely flipped around.

Rasmus Andersson started the flurry for the Flames to snap Kochetkov's shutout bid, and just 1:21 late, the game was tied via Connor Zary.

A new game with 12:57 on the clock, the Canes had an opportunity to reclaim their lead with what would go on to be their only power play of the night in the following moments.

Instead, Blake Coleman struck shorthanded, completing the come-from-behind push for the home side.

Seemingly shocking the visitors, there was insult added to injury before the contest could reach the finish line though.

Inside the final five minutes, Carolina tied the contest via Sebastian Aho, what would have been an incredibly needed and timely goal from one of the team's top players.  However, Calgary challenged for goaltender interference and won, negating the potential equalizer.

The Canes could not crack Dustin Wolf in the final minutes after that, arriving at a third consecutive loss.

They Said It...

Rod Brind'Amour mincing no words, post-game...

"Not good enough.  We've got a lot of guys that aren't pulling their weight.  It's plain and simple.  You can read into it what you want, but we're not going to win if we don't have 20 guys going.  We have some guys working hard every night, contributing, doing what they do, but there are a lot of others that need to look in the mirror."

Stefan Noesen on the third period collapse...

"We just sat back and watched.  The start of the third was obviously not how we wanted to do things.  We had a ** game yesterday and a 2-0 lead going into the third.  We can't give up a shorthanded goal there.  That's just unacceptable all-around."

Jordan Martinook sharing his frustrations...

"Where we're at right now, there should be a huge sense of urgency going into a period like that.  We've got a two-goal lead to close it out and for us to sit back, come, and not push back, especially for where we're at right now, it's hard to fathom.  Obviously, we're in a rut right now.  We're going into a team that's playing really good as well.  We need to do what we need to do tomorrow to figure it out and come back Saturday with the mindset that we're going to dominate and not lose a battle."

What's Next?

The Canes team will fly to Vancouver immediately post-game. They're scheduled to be off on Friday and then return to action on Saturday against the Canucks.

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