DALASUS – Blake Coleman has a prediction: his Flames will return and Johnny Godreau will play a major role in this.
He may want to do so soon, as the Flames missed two straight in a tough series with Dallas and are now 2-1 behind.
Godro had a golden opportunity to turn things around late in Saturday’s 4-2 loss, when he tried alone with four minutes left in a one-goal match.
An attempt to cross five holes was thwarted by Jake Oettinger, which led to a rough assessment by the coach:
“We have a break with two or three minutes left, these guys have to take it home,” said Daryl Suther. “It’s their job.”
Coleman was a little more diplomatic.
“He’s getting a look – that was just one of the many chances we could probably finish,” the Texan said. “Things increase depending on the time of the game.
“Johnny is a great player. He was a great player all year long. He will come back. We have all the world’s confidence in his game and he will be a great reason for our team to return to the next game. “
Critics who rained on Gaudro at the start of these playoffs will easily ignore the five shots on goal he had in the match and the great pass he made to get Elias Lindholm at the start of the second period to give Flames a 2- 1.
He was not terrified in any way.
But when time, space and chance come first, it puts even more pressure on players like him to take advantage of the few opportunities in a defensive battle like this.
They are no better off from the situation they found themselves in after Tyler Tofoli turned to find Godré alone on the blue line for a one-on-one meeting with Oettinger who would like to get back.
Godro was not the only one who may have had trouble sleeping after that. Coleman’s return home did not turn out exactly as he had dreamed.
In a game where penalties continue to be the main plot, Coleman sat in the trash can while Joe Pavelski marked the winner of the game. The same Pavelski who scored earlier in the evening before selling the call to Coleman, who hit the glove on the winger 11 minutes to go in a 2-2 match.
Sutter guessed that the call after that was because it was Pavelsky.
“A sentence of (11 minutes) remains, you can’t accept it,” said Coleman, who had 50 friends and family members at the American Airlines Center.
“Being a referee is one of the most difficult professions. I will say that if you are going to pay for the sticky stuff with the remaining (11) minutes, you better pay for the high sticks with a few more minutes. I think you have to call it both ways if you’re going to do it that way.
“Obviously a disappointing match that I thought we’d let out.”
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The penalties continue to disrupt the Flames’ desire to spin four lines, taking away their five-on-five game, which has been their bread and butter all year.
The stars continue to frustrate and punish the Flames by hitting them 44-23, sparking numerous whistle calls that the Flames know they need to eliminate.
“Too many penalties, we have to stay out of the box,” said Trevor Lewis, who tied the game 1-1 late in the first with a rebound over Oettinger, whom the stars thought came thanks to the intervention of Milan goalkeeper Lucic. (they lost the challenge). “Things after the whistles, we have to get rid of them.”
The coach agreed, as his club also did not perform well in a four-on-four game.
“It’s tight, there’s not much space,” added Lewis, whose fourth line was named by Suther as the team’s best unit to check. “We just have to dig a little deeper and find out what we’re made of. And take those second and third efforts. We had a chance to win the match for sure.
“I do not think anyone thought it would be easy. We know we have a great band and we do that all year round. We just have to refocus and try to win the next game. “
As many fans in Calgary begin to wonder if this is another of the franchise’s playoffs in the making, Coleman said no one has lost faith in their room.
“Our group is still feeling very well, we are really confident in our abilities,” said Coleman, whose club outscored Dallas 41-32 but made a 0-for-4 in the power game. “We won a game and got our home ice back and that’s the goal that’s coming here.
“There is no panic in our room. We have a lot of guys who have been there and been in these situations, and that’s seven games for a reason. “
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