Forced offence, overworked defence amount to tough loss at home for Flames vs. Leafs

The Calgary Flames, tied 2-2 with a Toronto Maple Leafs team that has more talent on paper, had the puck in the offensive zone midway through the second period. Jonathan Huberdeau feathered a pass towards a pinching Tyson Barrie looking to give Calgary the lead in a game that could have served as a statement victory.

Barrie couldn't control the pass, the Leafs took it and went the other way, and Bobby McMann buried a shot over Flames goalie Dustin Wolf’s blocker to give the Leafs the lead. They would never look back, winning 6-3 in front of a Scotiabank Saddledome crowd half-clad in blue-and-white garb. 

After the game, Flames head coach Ryan Huska was hesitant to blame his defenceman for a night where the team made several poor reads, blew coverages, and looked a step behind the play.

“It’s not just the d-man,” Huska said, of Barrie’s pinch.

“There’s other things that go on in this situation, whether it’s a forward [and] how he’s trying to make a play or that type of play that they’re looking for … They’re forcing offence that isn’t there.”

Huska used the term “forced offence” more than once to describe a night in which the Flames had four high-danger chances at five-on-five to Toronto’s 10, per NaturalStatTrick.com.

“I thought we forced offence and we got ourselves in trouble because of that,” he said.

“Their last three goals before the empty netter [were] all a result of us forcing offence, which is something we typically don’t do against a team that’s got skilled forwards. You can’t play that game.”

Blue liner MacKenzie Weegar said the club lacked composure against a fast, pesky Leafs squad.

“It felt like at any moment there could be a three-on-two or two-on-one at some point,” he said.

“They work hard. They’ve got good sticks. They like to get under your stick and take it away and get back to the net. I wouldn’t say we were necessarily ready for that part either.”

Calgary has authored a Cinderella story so far this season in large part because of a buttoned-down, defence-first approach bereft of nights like Tuesday. They’ve been responsible in their own end, made risk-averse plays, and gotten bailed out by strong goaltending during those rare breakdowns. 

The Flames are without one of their top blue liners in Kevin Bahl, who has been sidelined since last Saturday. The club had played well in the games since, but on Tuesday it was clear that the extra minutes had taken their toll on the back end. 

Bahl’s injury has forced Huska to put Joel Hanley with Rasmus Andersson, Jake Bean with Weegar, and Brayden Pachal with Barrie.

Bean typically plays between 13 and 17 minutes on the third pairing. He played 17:17 on Tuesday and eclipsed the 20-minute mark in each of the previous three contests. Barrie went two-and-a-half months between NHL games before suiting up on Jan. 28, and has since averaged over 15 minutes a night. 

They had held their own, according to the coach, until this loss to Toronto.

“You want the opportunity,” Huska said of his blue liners, noting that Weegar has continued to play well in Bahl’s absence.

“Everyone asks for it. ‘I want a little more. I want a little more. I can do the job.’ Well, you have to make sure you can do the job.”

Have the other blue liners seized the chance at hand?

“I didn’t think our back end was great tonight. Up until this point, I think they’ve done a good job,” Huska said.

There were other storylines in the game. 

Wolf, who’s turned heads as a legitimate Calder candidate, had a tough night, allowing five goals on 29 shots. The Flames’ penalty kill continued its struggles, killing two of four Toronto opportunities. Newcomer Joel Farabee notched his first goal as a member of the Flames. Huska debated challenging Toronto’s fifth goal for goaltender interference but held off because he thought Wolf’s momentum had taken him out of the play already. 

Calgary’s defensive play, however, was the culprit on a night where the Leafs looked beatable early on and the Flames could have added a win to their playoff push.

“We’re a competitive group,” Weegar said.

“We want to win. We’re fighting for a playoff spot here. You can kind of sense it tonight.”