Arizona Coyotes Fruitless Against Flames in 5-2 Loss
The Arizona Coyotes are right on track to go 0-6-0 against the Calgary Flames this season
So.
The Arizona Coyotes seem to be allergic to getting a win against the Calgary Flames, falling for their third straight game of a six-game season series in a 5-2 regulation loss.
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The consolation could be that the Flames are slowly becoming this season’s dark horse; while the Coyotes may still have some improvements to make, Calgary simply looks like a Really Good Team.
They’re finishing off their third periods stronger than almost every other team in the league, passing cleanly, and capitalizing on turnovers with a devastatingly fast offense. Arizona may have looked better than in games as of late, but it just wasn’t enough against this divisional rival.
The game was surprisingly well-rounded and dynamic for both teams throughout the first two periods; even the third period had some good looks by the Coyotes, but simply none good enough to surge ahead in the face of a team that looks like a well-oiled machine in those final twenty minutes. The Flames knew how to take shots, when to take shots, and took advantage of a desperate Arizona empty net at the end to score an insurance goal… for their two insurance goals. But it’s whatever.
Dec 2, 2014; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames goalie stops a shot from Arizona Coyotes right wing Tobias Rieder (8) at Scotiabank Saddledome. Flames won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
The Coyotes managed to take a higher number of shots on goal, surging past their all-too-common single digit scoring chances in the first period to round out the game’s first twenty minutes trailing by only one.
The second period looked like it was going to start shifting in favor of the Flames early on, as Josh Jooris had just finished the first period by scoring his first of three goals throughout the night in his first NHL career hat trick. The undrafted Union College centre from Burlington, Ontario managed to be in the right place at the right time — on more than one occasion — and would eventually help his team surge past the Coyotes in the third.
"Before his final two goals, though, the Coyotes managed to tie up the score one final time at two apiece when Sam Gagner netted his third of the season; although Gagner would eventually start getting sloppy with his puck possession towards the end of the game, he managed to be a sharp, fast offensive force for much of the game."
The biggest takeaway from tonight’s game was the way that the team managed to pull themselves together, even when superstar Tobias Rieder was having an off night. Apart from an exciting almost-shorthanded opportunity for the German forward, Rieder had little of his usual spark on plays throughout the night. He was tallied against for three takeaways by Calgary, missed on all three of his recorded shot attempts, and finished off the game for one of the first times this season with a -1.
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The Coyotes managed to keep from falling behind until the very end, though, despite the trouble they had with Rieder all game long. A Connor Murphy scratch (most likely related to the upper body injury he received during last night’s game against Edmonton) meant that the Coyotes had a defensive line of David Schlemko and Chris Summers out on the ice for nearly a quarter of the game — yet, spectators didn’t see anything particularly worrisome about the play of the two extra defenders.
With Rieder having one of his less-than-perfect nights, the Arizona Coyotes‘ MVP was, without a doubt, Martin Erat. The winger hasn’t necessarily been anything more than a streaky middle-six forward for the majority of the season, but he managed to constantly push the play up towards Karri Ramo‘s net in order to prevent the team from playing the usual defensive trap game they’ve been forced into recently.
This game, though, has to go wholehandedly to the Flames. From Jooris’ hat trick and one hundred percent faceoff record to Dennis Wideman‘s two assists and all-around solid play, the team is looking to be more than just a playoff contender — they could be the cup Final dark horse this season.
Smith recorded yet another loss, and the 5GA aren’t going to do good things to his stats. The best the Coyotes can hope for is the Los Angeles Kings to be off their game later this week — the Arizona squad needs another win, and badly.
Shot Charts:
via war-on-ice.com
121. 5. 112. Final. 2
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