BURSTThe Calgary Flames are coming home for Christmas, and they’re not bringing with them any of the nasty streaks they left town with.
A 4-3 win in Nashville snapped an eight-game road losing skid and marked the first time in a franchise-record 25 games they scored more than three goals.
And they did it with the sort of gritty effort they can be proud of, allowing the lads to fly back from Music City with a little bounce in their steps.
Well, those that weren’t limping.
After Jonathan Huberdeau scored a late second-period power-play goal to put the visitors ahead for the first time, the Flames shut the door with a gritty, shot-blocking display that preserved the win.
In the final five minutes of the third, Huberdeau blocked one with his stick, Blake Coleman used his foot, and Chris Rooney took one on the chin.
“It was a little scary — I think it got me in the chest and the chin, so I kind of sat there for a second and said, ‘I’m all good,’” laughed Rooney, who figured prominently in the win.
“We’ve got a really close group in here, and we’re really been striving to be better on the road because we love playing at the Dome, so if we could put that together we could be a really good team.”
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The selflessness of the group was the biggest talking point afterwards.
“They’re not easy things to do in those situations,” said Huska of the 19 blocks from a team that showed tremendous resilience to tie the game three times before taking the lead.
“The guys feel it, and they do feel it for more than just a little while.
“But for our team, that’s the difference. The margins are so slim for us, usually, on a nightly basis that in the shot lane or out of the shot lane can often be the difference for us.”
Only seven shots got through in the third for Dan Vladar to push aside, and one hit the post, prompting a relieved bunch of Flames to surround him with relieved smiles after the final buzzer for their first road win since America voted Nov. 5.
“Really leaving our heart out there,” said Vladar of the blocks.
“That was our mentality at the beginning of the year and we’ve got to keep grinding. That’s a huge win for our group.”
More takeaways from the win:
Huberdeau’s line looking fine
Jonathan Huberdeau’s 10th of the season makes him the only Flame in double digits, extending his scoring streak to five games.
The veteran winger has played very well of late, focusing on a 200-foot game that has seen him score greasy goals in one end and be counted on defensively in the other.
On Tuesday, it allowed his recently-formed line with Nazem Kadri and Martin Pospisil to be dangerous all night, with Pospisil’s speed and physicality setting up the other two lads for seven shots combined.
“I do think the line has found a little bit of chemistry,” said Huska, praying he can find the type of line combinations that can kickstart his struggling offence.
“I really like the way Marty is playing, and I think the pace Marty plays with allows Naz and Huby to do their thing with the puck. Hopefully, it’s a sign of good things to come.”
Thirty seconds after Kadri buried a feed from Huberdeau, their line was burned by a missed assignment on a backcheck that allowed the Preds to go up 2-1.
Their play the rest of the night was noticeable, which is encouraging for Flames fans, given how little chemistry Kadri and Huberdeau have had in the past.
“We knew that was a big one for us — we wanted that win really bad,” said Huberdeau, whose goal on the man advantage was a crease-side rebound he banged in after a smart shot by Connor Zary.
Checking line chips in
Not only did Rooney’s fourth line play a prominent role in shutting the hosts down in the third period, but they also chipped in with two goals.
The first was a great example of how Walker Duehr’s speed can be his biggest asset, as the big man chipped, chased, retrieved and dished to Rooney for a two-on-one finish that started with a faceoff win in their own zone.
It tied the game 2-2.
Brayden Pachal tied the game 3-3 with a point blast made possible by a great shift from Jakob Pelletier, Duehr and Rooney.
Ryan Lomberg missed his second game of the trip to be with family ahead of the birth of their third child, but the trio provided all the ingredients you could ask for — and more — from a fourth unit.
Tidbits
In the third period, they were there when the team needed them most, but otherwise, the Flames’ top defensive duo of Rasmus Andersson and Kevin Bahl had a rough road trip.
After combining to be minus-9 Sunday in Dallas, they went minus-5 Tuesday, leaving both with a minus-7 mark for the two-game jaunt.
Very atypical.
The Flames have a chance to build on one of the best home records in the league (10-3-1) starting Thursday when a visit from the Lightning kicks off a five-game homestand that leads into Christmas.
The Lines
Huberdeau – Kadri – Pospisil
Sharangovich – Backlund – Coronato
Coleman – Zary – Kuzmenko
Pelletier – Rooney – Duehr
Bahl – Andersson
Weegar – Miromanov
Bean – Pachal
Vladar
