Flames vs. Stars: Three takeaways from Calgary's Game 4 loss in overtime

Jackie Spiegel

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Flames vs. Stars: Three takeaways from Calgary's Game 4 loss in overtime image

The Calgary Flames were 12 seconds from taking a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven first-round playoff series with the Dallas Stars on Sunday. Instead, they find themselves tied in the series 2-2 after Dallas forward Alexander Radulov potted the game-winner in overtime of Game 4.

"Anytime you lose it sucks but, I mean, series is 2-2 and we've got to look forward to the next game," Calgary forward Sean Monahan said on a postgame Zoom call with reporters. "I thought we competed the whole game and we had our chances, too. So we're going to look at the positive there and be ready for the next game."

"Like Monty says, it sucks," added forward Johnny Gaudreau. "[They] tie it late. [We] had a couple good scoring chances in overtime; didn't put them in. Just a bad break for our team — guy breaks his stick in the D zone, they're stuck out there for 45 seconds to a minute. They're kind of gassed and, you know, they got a couple guys in front. [Flames goalie Cam Talbot] can't see the puck and [it] goes in. So, you know, just put it behind us. Move on to the next game."

The Flames will have time to digest the loss before Tuesday's Game 5 at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Here are three takeaways from Calgary's Game 4 loss:

Protect home plate

You cannot expect to give up 25 high-danger chances (HDCA) and 55 scoring chances against (SCA) and skate away a winner. The numbers were lopsided, too: Twenty of those HDCA and 37 SCA were at 5v5; by comparison, the Flames had 11 high-danger chances for and 22 scoring chances for.

"They've had some good chances," Flames interim coach Geoff Ward said. "I'm just concerned with what we're giving up inside — I don't care if we give up 100 shots from the outside of the ice, it doesn't matter to me. Prognosticators can make what they want of it, but I'm just worried about what we're giving up inside in terms of scoring chances and, you know, the grade of scoring chance that they are."

The one positive for the Flames, which is evident in the heat map below from Natural Stat Trick (which also provided all the numbers above), is that they got the job done in their limited chances around the crease.

heat-map-flames-stars-081620

Overall, the Stars fired 62 pucks on goaltender Cam Talbot over three-plus periods, including 12 in overtime. Of those high-danger shots, Talbot stopped 15 of 17.

Regardless of the score, Talbot has been a force in net this postseason with a .933 save percentage and two shutouts in eight games.

Playoff Sam Bennett is good

Aside from having one of the most magnificent playoff beards you'll ever see, Bennett just knows how to amplify his game come the postseason.

Last year, he led the Flames with five points in five playoff games; Sunday afternoon, he notched two goals to give him a team-high five in eight postseason games. Bennett also added an assist on Gaudreau's marker in the second period and now has seven points total in the eight games.

"I just have to be honest with you, I think he just relishes this time of year," Ward said postgame. "He was our best player last year in the playoffs. I know before that he's had some real strong playoffs for Calgary before I was here. He just relishes this time of year. I think he enjoys being back at center. He was on the wing for a while when he got here. He's back at the position that he grew up playing, so I think, you know, he's comfortable there.

"He's the type of guy that looks forward to the type of game that the playoffs offer, so he's been a real effective performer for us. ... He seems to consistently put good performances out there [come] playoff time."

Not only has Bennett been productive by lighting the lamp or dishing to linemates Dillon Dube and Milan Lucic, he also has played a physical game. He leads the NHL with 47 hits, including five Sunday.

"It's definitely good for personal confidence, I think," Bennett said when asked about his playoff successes. "I'm just trying to do whatever I can to help this team win and, you know, if it's making hits or scoring goals, it doesn't matter to me — I just want to do whatever I can to help this team and, obviously, those who would feel a lot nicer if we had a W tonight, but at the end of the day, [it's] just move on and regroup."

Special teams are very special

The Flames' power play is on fire (pun totally intended).

After going 2 for 4 with the man advantage Sunday thanks to Bennett and Johnny Hockey, the team was tied with the Vancouver Canucks at 32.1 percent effectiveness heading into the Canucks' late-night Game 3 vs. the Blues. Mind you, Calgary was 21.2 percent effective in the regular season.

The penalty kill isn't too shabby, either, at 85.3 percent, although Ward would probably prefer his team not rank No. 1 for most times short-handed (34). While the efficiency number is similar to the PK unit's work in the regular season (82.1), the big story this postseason is the four short-handed tallies.

Winger Tobias Rieder, who last September was invited to camp on a PTO and was a few months removed from being blamed by Oilers CEO Bob Nicholson for single-handedly keeping the team out of the playoffs by not scoring a goal in 2018-19, has three of those shorties.

"He's a great professional. He's a team player, all the way," Ward said. "The guys on our team love him. He'll do whatever it takes to win. I can't say enough good things about him.

"For him to be rewarded for some of the things that he's been doing, and his goals are hard-working goals, it's great to see. But I wouldn't expect anything less out of him knowing the type of man that he is and the type of character that he has. So, I've seen it time and time again and he continues to have big moments for us."

Jackie Spiegel