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Jacob Markstrom and MacKenzie Weegar didn’t agree on who was at fault for the St. Louis Blues’ purpose that appeared to flip momentum in Tuesday evening’s sport.
Each Calgary Flames gamers needed to take the blame on the Saddledome.
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What all people appeared to agree on after the 4-3 loss to the Blues (23-20-2), although, was that the Flames (21-21-5) have to cease their present three-game shedding streak and they should cease it now.
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It’s not about feeling higher about themselves going into the all-star break. It’s not about confidence or momentum or something like that.
It’s about getting factors within the standings. That’s all that issues now. Three straight losses are an excessive amount of.
They should beat the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday and the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday. It’s so simple as that.
“It’s greater image now,” Markstrom mentioned. “You wish to stick round and be within the hunt and within the combine and tonight was a troublesome one. We had been up going into the third and I’ve acquired to give you a number of extra saves tonight after which we’re sitting right here with two factors and a contented group.”
The duty for Tuesday evening’s loss actually doesn’t fall on Markstrom’s shoulders.
It might completely not be truthful to put the blame at Weegar’s ft, both.
And actually, the “how” doesn’t truly matter all that a lot. The Flames misplaced a sport that they had been main 3-1 late within the second interval. They misplaced a sport they completely wanted to win.
That two-goal lead was lowered to at least one late within the second body when Weegar misplayed a puck close to his personal blue-line. It was pounced on by Brayden Schenn, who took off on a breakaway and buried the puck previous Markstrom to make it 3-2.
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The purpose appeared to alter the momentum of the sport. The Blues would go on to attain two extra, together with the game-winner within the remaining minute when Brandon Saad threw a bizarre, bouncing puck on the Flames internet that acquired previous Markstrom.
Weegar, although, was targeted on his personal mistake. It won’t be the explanation the Flames misplaced the sport, nevertheless it didn’t assist.
To his credit score, he didn’t hesitate to take accountability.
“That’s a bulls— play,” Weegar mentioned. “As an older man, as a pacesetter, even a younger man, it’s unacceptable that I make a play like that on the power-play with not quite a lot of time on the clock.
“It might be a totally completely different sport going into that third interval.”
That’s what you wish to hear from a man in Weegar’s place. He owned as much as his mistake and vowed to be higher.
Then, when Markstrom got here to the mic stand to deal with the media, the Flames goaltender tried to take the blame himself.
“Stuff like that’s going to occur each sport,” Markstrom mentioned. “It doesn’t matter who it’s. I’m nonetheless again there and it’s my job, what number of photographs are these guys blocking for me? It’s my job to bail them on the market when stuff like that occurs and I didn’t try this, in order that’s robust.”
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All of that is, presumably, what Flames followers wish to hear from the blokes on their workforce.
It’s a bunch of participant having one another’s backs and taking possession for the best way they play. No person of their proper thoughts would have a look at Schenn’s purpose and get mad at Markstrom for it, however he wasn’t going to let Weegar fall on his sword.
That’s what you wish to see.
However on the similar time, as Markstrom mentioned, there’s an even bigger image to consider right here. Accountability is nice, however proper now, wins are what matter. Once more, we’re not blaming Weegar and/or Markstrom for Tuesday evening’s loss. The truth is that over 60 minutes, the Blues did extra to win.
And the Flames have to cease that from taking place. Not quickly, now.
They’re 4 factors out of the second wildcard spot within the Western Convention, however they’d should leapfrog the Seattle Kraken, the Blues, the Arizona Coyotes and the Nashville Predators to get right into a playoff place.
There isn’t a lot room for error.
“We’ve dropped three in a row at house, that’s not one thing that’s OK,” mentioned Flames head coach Ryan Huska. “There’s stretches in video games and stretches in your season the place I believe, at occasions, you come again in video games otherwise you string collectively 4 (wins) in a row. We’re in a stretch now the place now we have to cease the bleeding at house right here, now we have two extra video games at house right here and now we have to ensure they’re a very powerful video games.”
daustin@postmedia.com
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